More Than Just a Summer Romance
by devinerose
Summary: Bella goes on vacation for the summer where she meets her neighbors the Hales and their friend the Cullens, more importantly the Cullen's gorgeous son Edward. Sun beach summer romance, add in a little Mike, and you've got a a heckofa summer! E/B A/J Em/R
1. Arrival

The plane was packed with people, babies crying and mothers shushing them, people on their cell phones trying to get in a last few minutes of conversation before the flight attendant was to come over the loud speaker instructing people to turn off all electrical devices. I was sitting in the window seat of a three seat row with Charlie. I stared out the small window thinking about where I was going to live for the next three months. Charlie had said that it was directly across the street from the beach, he also said it was a really nice house with a lot of windows, two floors, 4 rooms, why we needed so many was still a mystery to me, one bathroom, a small kitchen, a dining room, and a living room. He also said that we were living next a family that had two kids my age. I never really bonded with anyone after moving back to Forks in the past year, I made one or two friends but we weren't that close, just people I could sit with at lunch. At that movement the captain came over the loud speaker announcing the length of the flight, and that there wouldn't be any turbulence, which I was thankful for. I didn't mind flying in the least bit, it was just the take off and landing that shook me up. After the captain finished up he handed it off to one of the flight attendants who informed the passengers about all of the safety regulations that they had undoubtedly heard before. I just shut my eyes and waited for sleep to come. I woke up three hours later to Charlie nudging me,

"Bells. Bella, wake up we're here." He said, I opened my eyes. I stretched my arms up bashing my fingers painfully into the roof of the plane, my first of the many summer injuries yet to come. My father just rolled his eyes, shook his head and laughed as he always did whenever I got hurt,

"Bella you really need to be careful, I would like to avoid trips to the hospital this vacation. Now come on." It took us a while to get off the plane and grab our bags from the baggage claim. But the car rental place was where we spent most of our time. By the time we were done it had taken two hours to get off the plane, through customs, and into a car, only to drive another three hours. There was a diner on a hill about a half a mile from the house we stopped at. I made a mental reminder to stop at the grocery store. From there it was easy to see the beach and our house. The beach was bay like only smaller, maybe a mile, and the tide must have been out all the way because it was maybe a half a mile from the shore. On each end of the beach was a set of caves that looked like they would be fun to explore had I not been so accident prone. The house was located on the main road facing the ocean, and was separated from the beach by only the road and rocks that had to be climbed down, Charlie hadn't been kidding.

"So, you excited for the next few months?" Charlie asked breaking into my thoughts of broken bones and hospital trips.

"Huh? Oh yeah, but is it just me or does it seem like there's not much to do around here?" I asked looking around the sparse establishment. We were here because Charlie and Billy had won a fishing competition to which the prize was an all travel expense paid trip to Cape St. Mary in Nova Scotia, which was supposed to have great fishing as well as great views. Billy had decided not to come because he wasn't one for leaving home, so Charlie decided that we should go.

"I'm sure there's something to do, we can take a drive later and find something to interest you." He suggested

"Alright, sounds good to me!" We then began to discuss what we were going to do for food and things. It was agreed that we would go into town tomorrow and pick up food for the week. Our food came and the conversation slowed as we ate. After we were done Charlie went to the counter to pay as I went to the car. The drive to the house took all of three minutes, while unloading was a different story. Once we got all the bags into the house we finally got the chance to look at it, and it was beautiful. There wasn't a hallway so the first room was the living room, which was painted a bright cheery yellow, and consisted of a wood stove in the far corner, a couch with a chest in front that doubled as a coffee table, and two chairs. The wall in front of the couch was fitted with 3 semi floor to ceiling windows overlooking the beach. Each window was framed with squares of stained glass in varying colors. The next room in was the dining room, which had a table and four chairs, a stereo, a cabinet holding the glasses and the snack food, and there were two windows. Off of the dining room was the kitchen, the bathroom, and one of the four rooms. This room was a rosy pink, it had one window next to the bed that had a partial view of the beach, and since it was west facing, a view of the sunrise. There was a bed with a bed side table, a dresser with a mirror, a rocking chair in the corner, and a closet, the room was beautiful. I immediately lay claim to it by dragging my heavy bags into it, I hadn't even bothered looking upstairs. However Charlie did and he found that the bedroom at the top of the stairs suited his liking. It also had window facing the water, but the hook for him was the 20 inch flat screen hanging in the corner. Once I had seen the rest of the house I started unpacking as Charlie brought his bags upstairs and did the same.

As I was piling my clothes into their corresponding drawers there was a knock on the door, I stopped to see who it was. Standing in the doorway were two adults and two people about my age, maybe a little older, and both were unbelievably attractive. The guy was really tall and muscular, but still lean. He was wearing a pair of white swimming trunks paired with a loose green shirt and flip-flops, with a pair of reflective lensed aviators pushed into his golden blond hair. The girl looked to be the same age and was so beautiful that I wouldn't be surprised to hear that girls around the world were slitting their wrists to look like her. She was taller than me and looked perfect in her red thin strap halter one piece. It looked like something Marilyn Monroe would wear in one of her 1950s pinups. She was also wearing a pair of amber rimmed Ray Bans and a bored expression. The people I guessed were their parents introduced themselves as and Charles and Margaret Hale.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Hale." I held out my hand to them.

"Oh dear, what am I old, call me Margaret and this is Charles," Margaret said as she shook my hand.

"And this is our daughter Rosalie and our son Jasper." Charles said waving a hand to each of her children. Rosalie just nodded as she looked me up and down, while Jasper smiled and said Hi.

"Jasper, Rose, why don't you take Bella down to the beach and introduce her to the Cullens?" Charles offered.

"Sure, do you have a suit?" Jasper asked turning to me.

"Yeah, I'll be right back." I went to my room and grabbed the dark blue one piece that was sitting on top of a pile of unpacked clothes. I threw that on with a pair of denim shorts and grabbed a towel. I was soon standing in front of everyone ready to go, and nervous as ever. I was always shy around new people, ask anyone, even back home I only had two friends, and they were just people to sit with at lunch.

"Can we go?" Rosalie asked seeming even more bored, I blushed.

"Yeah, sorry." I said, and the three of us walked out of the door, their parents stayed behind to continue their talk with Charlie.

"So Bella, where do you live?" Jasper asked as we crossed the street.

"Forks, Washington." I answered.

"I hear it's not too sunny up there in Washington." I nodded,

"Un-hun, you heard correct, always glum and rainy."

"No wonder your so pale." Rosalie said as she made her way down the rocks ahead of us.

"Ignore her, I beg you." He pleaded as if used to her behavior,

"Must be a nice change." He said gesturing at the sun, as he followed Rosalie onto the rocks. That's when I remembered how to get to the beach. Over rocks. Large rocks, or to me, death traps.

"Hey, ya coming?" Jasper's shout broke me from my state of fear and I nodded. I looked back to the rocks and realized there was no way I-clumsy Bella, who was capable of tripping over a flat surface- could possibly make it down those rocks and onto the beach alive.

"Here," Jasper said coming back up to me, "If you go this way it's easy, kind of like stairs."

"Maybe easy for you, but I'm really clumsy." I said with a laugh as I carefully stepped onto the first rock. Jasper pointed out the path and I saw it, it really was like steps. I made it down before him without once tripping, which shocked me, but of course as I went to take my first step on the sand, I tripped. I threw out my hands, squeezed my eyes shut, and waited for impact. But it never came. I felt a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist pulling me upright. I looked up to thank Jasper for catching me, only it wasn't him. The person holding me could only be described as a god in human form, he was gorgeous beyond belief. He was tall with tousled bronze hair, and when I looked at his eyes I couldn't look away. His eyes were emerald green, just green, no other colors mixed in likes most people's eyes. He couldn't seem to look away either and I felt myself beginning to blush. We both looked up when a beast of a guy came over and clapped his hand on the God's shoulder.

"Edward, Nice catch." Edward, so that was this Adonis's name. The guy standing next to Edward was a giant, he was at least 6' 7'' and completely ripped, one of his arms was the size of my thighs. He had jet black curly hair, and was extremely cute in a boyish way.

"And who did you catch now?" Edward and the giant both looked to me.

"Bella!" Jasper called after finally making it safely down the rocks, "Are you okay?" He asked. I just nodded as the giant asked,

"You know the flying hottie?" Jasper just laughed.

"Bella, this is Emmett," Jasper said pointing to the person who wasn't Edward, the one I had so aptly nick-named 'The Giant',

"Yeah," Emmett said cutting off Jasper,

"And the boy clinging to you would be Edward. Hey Edward, you planning on letting her go so she can introduce herself without Blondy's help?" Emmett asked with a laugh jerking his thumb at Jasper, I blushed and Edward dropped his arms, I have to admit I was quite disappointed when he let go. Emmett then picked me up into a hug that would be best described as a bear hug. Only putting me down when he realized I needed to breath,

"Nice to meet you Bella." Emmett said as he set me in the sand, it was then I realized that Emmett was just a big teddy bear. Edward held out his hand with a smile, as I took his hand I felt something in my fingers spark, not like a static shock, it felt deeper than that. Edward must have felt it too, because he looked at our hands, then back up at me, and he smiled.

"Hello." He said.

"Hi, and thanks for the save by they way." I said.

"Anytime." He said with a crooked smile that made my heart skip a beat. We stood there for a few seconds, our hands still clasped, and staring into each other's eyes. Until Emmett wrapped his arms around our shoulders and pulled us in close.

"Alright lovebirds," I blushed and Edward just laughed, while Jasper playfully smacked Emmett on the back of his head.

"What?!" Emmett asked, "I'm just stating the obvious, no need to get testy. Now let's get going, you know before Alice thinks were holding the new girl hostage, you know how he likes new people, and I don't want to know what she'd do if she thought we were keeping one from her." The boys all shuddered. We began walking toward a blanket in the sand where Rosalie was standing with another girl I guessed was Alice. She was tiny, barely five feet, with short spiky jet black hair, wearing a black bikini. She reminded me of a pixie, and unlike Rosalie, she was as pale as me.

"Yo!" Emmett shouted, "Alice!" She turned and saw us, then she skipped over with a big smile. She stopped and hugged Jasper then she saw me,

"Oooh New people!" She squealed, as she came over and hugged me, knocking the wind right out of me, which was surprising for someone of her size. The boys laughed,

"Alice, Bella." Emmett said, "Bella, annoying little pixie," We all laughed at that as Alice smacked Emmett on the arm, the highest part she could reach.

"Hi Alice, nice to meet you," I said holding out my hand, she took it.

"You too Bella, I have a feeling we are going to be great friends!" She said as she pulled me toward the blanket, I had a feeling she was right, I really liked this energetic little pixie.

"Alice, try not pulling her arm out of the socket please!" Emmett called from behind us, Alice turned and stuck her tongue out at him, I laughed. When we finally reached the blanket she sat down next to Rosalie and patted a space in the sand for me to sit in, she then proceeded to grill me on my life's story.

"So, where do you live?" She asked first.

"Forks. Washington." I answered for the second time that day.

"What grade are you in?"

"I just finished junior year." I answered.

"Oooh me too, same with Edward!" She squealed.

"So Bella, I see your arm is still intact, hows your sanity doing?" Emmett asked as he and the rest of the boys approached the blanket.

"Bella doesn't mind," She said quickly to Emmett then she turned to me,

"Right?" She asked, I saw the look in her eyes, she looked sad and a little hurt,

"No, not at all." I answered not wanting to break her spirits.

"See." She spat at Emmett who was sitting down across from Rosalie, Jasper took a seat behind Alice pulling her into his lap, Edward came and sat down next to me, my heart thumped at his close proximity.

"See what? That Bella is just as scared as the rest of us when it comes to disappointing you?" Emmett said with another laugh.

"Oh leave Alice alone she's just excited Em." Jasper said, then he kissed the top of her head.

"Thank you Jasper." Alice said turning her face up too meet his, their lips met and they began kissing, I looked away not wanting to intrude.

"Guys, come on, your scaring Bella." Emmett said, the two pulled apart and everyone laughed.

"Oh Emmett your one to talk, we've all seen you and Rose, and you two are scary!" Edward said, then he threw a smile my way, and I realized he was changing the topic for my benefit, I mouthed my thanks and he winked at me, my heart nearly burst.

"Yeah, you two are gross." Alice said with a laugh, Rosalie just smiled.

"Thank you, I try, I try." Emmett said proudly.

"So I take it you guys are together." I inferred.

"Of course, where have you been silly Bella?" Alice asked with a smile, "Me and Jas, and Rose and Em. And then you have loner Edward who has all the girls at our school throwing themselves at him left, right, and center, and who ignores them all." She said folding her arms.

"Hey, it's not my fault the girls at our school are pretty much incompetent ditzes who only care about themselves. And you know I'm right Alice." Edward said with a smile. My heart lifted a little when I realized I thankfully didn't posses those qualities, but I still knew he was way out of my league.

"Hey! I resent that," Alice said with mock severity, "I go to your school, and last time I checked, I was a member of the female population there and I am definitely not an incompetent ditz who only cares about myself."

"Yeah, me too Edward!" Rosalie said, the first words she had spoken since I sat down.

"Uh Rose," Emmett said looking at her, she looked at him, "You are totally and completely a person who cares about _nothing_ but them self." He smiled. I thought she was going to get mad at him, yell at him, or do something, instead she said,

"Yeah, that's true, but I'm no incompetent ditz."

"No, that you're not baby." Emmett agreed, Rosalie then got up and kissed him, only they were much worse than Jasper and Alice.

"See," Edward said jerking his thumb at Emmett and Rosalie, Jasper cleared his throat.

"Oh come on that was nothing!" Emmett complained and pouted like child because his kissed had ended early.

"Anyway," Edward continued, "While that's true you and Alice aren't ditzes, it's you two. And there is no way I'm dating my sister," He looked at Alice, before turning to Rosalie, "And Rose, if I even tried to date you-not that I want to, cause you might as well be my sister- that lump of muscle," He pointed at Emmett, "Would beat me to a bloody pulp." He finished.

"Damn Skippy." Emmett said wrapping his arms protectively around Rosalie.

"Emmett, I'm not going to." Edward said when Emmett didn't realize that Edward had no intention of stealing Emmett's girlfriend. Everyone including Rosalie laughed at Emmett, while he sat there trying to understand the situation.

"Edward does make a good point Alice, the girls at our school, aren't exactly playing with a full deck." Jasper said.

"Yeah, yeah, but I still think you need a girlfriend." Alice said then I saw an idea spark in her eyes and she turned to me,

"Bella wh-" She was cut off when Edward jumped up and asked if I wanted to go for a walk. Knowing what Alice was going to say I nodded quickly. He held out his hand and I took it, he helped me up. We walked towards the water which was still a ways out.

"For the third time today, thank you." I said.

"No problem," he said slightly shaking his head making some of his hair fall into his eyes, he pushed them back by running his fingers through his hair, making my heart skip yet another beat.

"The way I figure it, I just saved us both a world of embarrassment." He said.

"Yeah, most likely, I mean I've only known Alice for a couple of minutes but I have a feeling that she's a very blunt and straightforward person, and is not in the least bit shy."

"Yep, you've just pinned down our Alice, but annoying as she is we still love her, I think. Well at least Jasper does." He joked.

"Well hey, I can see why. She seems to have the best interest at heart." He laughed at that.

"You're quite surprising Bella, not many people see that side of Alice's bombarding questions and over-helpfulness." He looked at me and smiled, I looked back at him then out to the water, trying hard not to get caught up in his eye, again.

"That's me, always surprising Bella!" I joked.

"So where is the always surprising Bella from?" He asked conversationally.

"Forks. Forks, Washington." I responded glumly, he picked up on that.

"You don't sound to happy about that." He said with a furrowed brow and another smile.

"It's all cloudy and very rainy, and cold too. Not much fun, plus I moved there from Arizona, so it was a very rude awakening."

"Why did you leave Arizona then?" He asked politely.

"Well, my parents got divorced when I was little and my mom took me to live with her. Which was an experience let me tell you, I think I raised her instead of the other way around, not that I minded though, but every once in a while it would have been nice if she stepped up." I was surprise at the ease with which I told him. It wasn't that my parents were a touchy subject, but I didn't normally talk so easily about it, especially with members of the opposite sex.

"So how did you end up in Forks?" He asked, genuinely interested.

"My mom met a baseball player named Phil, and they got married, so I figured they might like to be on their own for a while, you know, have their space, so I moved in with Charlie at the beginning of junior year." I finished.

"That was nice of you." He seemed a little surprised.

"I guess so." By then we had reached the water and decided to go back, hoping that Alice had forgotten her unfinished question.

"So Edward Cullen, what's your story?" I asked conversationally.

"Well my parents died when I was little so I was-" He stopped when he heard my gasp and saw me stop where I was standing,

"Edward, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up your parents." I said quickly. He laughed softly,

"It's alright Bella, I don't remember them much, Esme and Carlisle have been my parents for so long. Plus you asked for my life story, so I can't very well start from the middle" He took my hand, which seemed effortless for him, but still made my heart stutter, and we continued walking.

"Anyway, Carlisle and Esme adopted me when I was six, and maybe a year later they adopted Emmett, after that they realized that a girl was needed in their family so we went to a church run orphanage near our house to see if there were any girls my age. When we got there a pint sized Alice came sprinting over to us, hugged Esme, and said, 'You're going to take me home. Did you know that?' In that instant everyone of us fell in love with Alice, so Carlisle and Esme signed the paper work, and we took her home with us. Then when Alice and I turned ten, Carlisle got an amazing offer at the hospital here and we decided to move, but since the house the hospital had showed us was 'unsuitable for a family our size' as Esme called it, we moved out here. To that house over there." He pointed to a house that rest on the top of the cliffs on one end of the beach. It wasn't really a house but more along the lines of a mansion.

"It's beautiful Edward." I said looking at it.

"Yes it is." He said, but when I looked at him he was staring at me, not the house. We stayed like that locked in each others eyes for the second time that day, then he broke it by turning and walking back to the group hand still in mine.

"And that's my story." He said.

"I like it." He smiled down at me once again.

"Good I'm glad." By then we nearing the blanket.

"Now that you two love birds are back can we play a game of three on three football!" Emmett shouted holding up a football, the idea of running on the sand made me quiver, and I was about to ask to sit out when Alice came to my rescue.

"Two to a team," Alice piped up, "Bella and I will be sitting out!" Then she turned to me and shouted, "Please?"

"Are you sure your ready?" Edward asked in my ear, I froze at his close proximity.

"I can handle it." I said breathlessly, he stopped, I turned to look at him, he was staring at me with amazement,

"What?" I asked with a smile. He seemed to break out of his trance.

"Nothing, come on." We began walking to the blanket. When we got there Emmett wrapped his arm around Edward's shoulder as he address the rest of us.

"Okay, so I say, Rose and Jasper against Edward and I. And Alice and Bella can sit out." He proposed. There was a chorus of okays as I plopped down next to Alice, watching them set up their game 100 feet in front of us. She and I sat for a while watching the boys and Rosalie play football, Emmett seem to enjoy pinning Rosalie to the ground a little too much.

"So," Alice said nudging my shoulder with hers, "You," she dragged out the 'you', "Like my brother."

"Yes, Emmett's a very attractive man." I said as a joke hoping to deter the conversation to a less embarrassing subject.

"No, not Emmett silly, wait you think Emmett's hot?" She asked calling me on what I said, I rolled my eyes.

"Careful what you say! Just so you're clear, I meant Edward. You have a crush on him." She said poking me in the shoulder with her finger. There was no hiding from Alice so I didn't bother.

"I don't know, Alice. Maybe. But mind you I've only known him for an hour so I really don't know." I admitted.

"Yes, you do like him," She cut off my protests with, "And he likes you." This made me stop dead, the thought of him, Adonis, liking plain old me was a little unreasonable, but a girl can hope.

"Really?" I asked excitedly.

"Oh so we are interested, I knew it, I knew it, I KNEW it! Oh and this is so perfect! You like him and he likes you! Bella you have to come out with us tonight! We can get ready at my house! Oh this is so exciting!" She squealed.

"What is?" Edward asked smiling and sitting next to me.

"What happened to your game?" I asked before Alice could say anything that _I_ would regret.

"Emmett tackled Rosalie to the ground, only they didn't get up." He said laughing and pointing to a spot in the sand where their makeshift football field had been. I heard Alice laugh beside me, sure enough Emmett was on top of Rosalie. They were glued together at the lips, as well as everywhere else. Jasper was walking toward us, he shouted playfully over his shoulder,

"Dude that's my sister!" All we could hear was Emmett's laughter as he flipped Jasper off behind his back, we all burst out laughing, except for Jasper who hadn't seen. He flopped down, back up on the blanket next to Alice. Edward turned to face us,

"What are you excited about now Alice?" Edward asked.

"I invited Bella to join us tonight." She said, and to my utter surprise and enjoyment, Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me, Alice gave me a knowing glance. My heart nearly stopped.

"Thank God." Edward said as he let me go.

"Oh Edward, stop being such a whiny pansy!" Alice spat.

"If I had to do one more night out with you guys on my own I just might go crazy." Edward said.

"Um, this is making me a little nervous, Edward. What could they possibly do that is that bad?" I asked, honestly not knowing. Edward jerked his thumb toward Emmett and Rosalie still making out in the sand as Alice said,

"Oh, please Edward, we certainly don't do that! Now calm down, Bella will be there, get happy already!" Alice said condescendingly, Edward just rolled his eyes.

We stayed at the beach until Alice declared it was time to get ready.

"Alice you said we were going out at 8, it's only four o'clock, we still have 4 hours don't we?" Everyone began laughing as I asked this. Except Alice who was smiling at me as if I had so much to learn about the important things in life,

"Oh Honey, you still have so much to learn." Alice said, I smiled, but on the inside I felt very, very scared.


	2. Riding in Cars With Boys

**Oh two things i forgot to mention**

**1. Everyone's human(kinda obvious)**

**2. I own nothing, all characters belong to Stephanie Meyer!**

I stared at the clothes thrown in a ball besides Alice's bed. My clothes, the one I had brought and Alice had deemed "unwearable", whatever that meant. Instead I would be wearing the dress laid out on the bed, although it was really more like a long shirt, but in Alice's eyes, it was just fine.

"Alice," I whined, "I'm taller than you it'll be way too short!" I hoped she would see the logic.

"That's the point! You're taller then me, yes, but other than that were both the same size-ish! It'll be perfect." She said as she put more black sparkly eyeshadow on my eyes, while Rosalie pulled at my hair with a brush and blow dryer.

"Plus Alice, where around here am I going to be able to wear that?" I pointed to the dress without looking at it.

"Oh Bella quite your complaining, I swear, you're worse than Edward! Now where we're going is a surprise, and it'll be fun! Trust me." I groaned, but stopped complaining, there was no use. There would be no way of getting out of this, especially after having to near beg to get Charlie to let me go, I couldn't not go. Plus, I was quickly learning that it is always in one's best interest not to deny Alice. Especially if she has a pointy object near my eye.

The both of them were already dressed and ready to go. Alice was wearing a black skin tight dress that came to just below mid calf. It had cap sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. It was mostly backless except for the sleeves being fastened together by a small brass button. She paired it with a set of green peep toe heels for a splash of color. She looked amazing, her hair was in the same spiky fashion as it was on the beach. Rosalie had donned a short sleeve red button down, it was ruffled on the top and the bottom synched to just above her belly button, a pair of black skinny jeans, and yellow flats. Her hair was cascading down in soft waves which only added to her beauty.

I looked once again to my dress, which was strapless with interweaving bands of dark and light blue that stopped mid waist. It really was beautiful, but it was just so short,

"Alice's there is no way I can wear that!" I whined.

"Oh, would you like something shorter?" She asked with a smile. That shut me up quick. They finally finished with my face and hair, and led me over to the bed. Alice had been right, minus the length factor the dress fit well, albeit a little snug, but not uncomfortable. Alice then held out a pair of shoes for me. I stared at them unable to say anything. Once I was finally able to speak,

"No, uhun, not a chance in hell, never in a million years, not gunna happen!" I said backing away from the 4 inch bright red Mary Jane pumps.

"Come on Bella, they're so cute and work perfectly with your outfit!" she said, still holding the death traps in her hands.

"Ok, I can't walk across a flat surface without tripping, and thats when I'm barefoot!" I argued.

"Oh Bella stop being so over dramatic! You'll be fine, and this will give you an excuse to hold onto Edward all night." She said as she sat me on the bed and began to lift my foot.

"Alllllllice," I whined, "Isn't there anything else I could wear?" I pleaded looking between her and Rosalie. Much to my surprise and Alice's, it was Rosalie who spoke up,

"I might have something." She said rummaging through her bag. I sighed in relief, Alice looked up at me with a devilish grin. I couldn't tell why until Rosalie pulled a pair of shoes out of her bag. They were black open-toed pumps, the heel was 6 inches _and_ pencil thin. I just held my hand out to Alice,

"Alice, give me the shoes." I grumbled, she squealed and handed me the shoes, but not before winking at Rosalie.

"Knew you'd see it my way Bella!"

"Yeah, yeah." I slid on the heels one by one, once I stood up I felt really wobbly.

"Okay let's go." I said shuffling to the door.

"One more thing Bella." Alice grabbed my wrist and led me to a corner in her room, she opened her closet door to reveal a full length mirror, which she pushed me in front of.

"What now, Al-" I stopped because a caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Had I not known I was looking in a mirror, I never would have guessed it was me. The dress gave me an hourglass shape and made my nonexistent cleavage, very, very, existent. The shortness of the dress combined with the height of the heels made my legs look a mile long. My hair had been pulled back into a messy bun, and I had smokey eyes with full red lips. My jaw dropped.

"Wow." I finally managed to get out.

"See I told you not to worry. Now we can go!" Alice said impatiently.

"Wait, one more thing, please?'' I pleaded.

"What?"

"Teach me how to walk in heels." It came out like a question. They both started laughing and came over. They showed me the simple tricks and within five minutes I had a pretty good idea of what I was doing. Then we finally went downstairs. The boys were in the living room. Jasper and Emmett were playing each other on a video game, and Edward was on the phone. They had yet to notice us, but I noticed Edward, and it made my breath catch. His gorgeous bronze hair was disheveled in the most amazing way. He was wearing a white button down with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of dark wash jeans, he looked beyond amazing. Edward was the first to notice us. He looked up at us quickly then back to the floor still talking, then he looked back up at me as quickly as he had looked away, as if he hadn't noticed me the first time. His mouth hung open as he stared at me, he had long since stopped talking to whoever was on the phone. He looked me up and down, and then our eyes locked. Neither of us could look away, and the longing in his eyes made me blush. I heard Alice giggle next to me.

"Edward, close your mouth, it's very unappealing." Alice said as she skipped over to Jasper, and sat in his lap. She ran her finger lightly along his jawline while whispering something in his ear. When she pulled away to look at him, he dropped his controller and kissed her, hard. I looked at Edward so as not to intrude on their moment. He mouthed 'I told you so' I laughed and Emmett started screaming, he jumped up and did a mini victory dance. Alice then pulled away from Jasper, they were both grinning, even though Jasper had just lost,

"Hey, I was this close," Jasper held his thumb and forefinger a centimeter apart, "From kicking your ass!" He said playfully.

"Yeah well, 'doesn't matter if you win by and inch or a mile, winning's winning.'" Emmett said matter of fact-ly as he quoted _Fast and Furious_.

"You're welcome Emmett, now can we please go?" Alice asked standing up and pulling Jasper with her.

"You're and evil little pixie you know that?" Jasper said with a smile looking down at Alice, she leaned into him.

"What are you going to do about it?" She asked in a sultry voice.

"Absolutely nothing!" Emmett cut Jasper off as he was opening his mouth, "I love free porn and all, but Jas, to quote you, 'Dude, that's my sister.'''

"And I don't recall _you_ stopping this afternoon." Jasper said politely, he had Emmett there.

"Yeah well I don't need to see you sticking your tongue down my _little_ sister's throat either." Edward stepped into the conversation.

"Fair enough." Jasper said with a shrug. Emmett walked over to Rosalie and leaned in to kiss her.

"Hey!" Jasper shouted making us all jump, "If I can't kiss Alice, no kissing Rose!" Emmett just smirked and kissed Rosalie anyway. Jasper rolled his eyes. When Emmett pulled away, we were ready to go.

"Okay, so we can do Rose, Em, Jas, and I in the jeep. And Bella and Edward can take the volvo." Alice suggested, we all nodded in agreement. Alice flashed me a knowing smile when Edward wrapped an arm around my waist, an action that made my heart stop,

"This way my lady." He whispered into my ear, I smiled and my stomach started to feel all tingly. He led me out to his car, a sleek sliver volvo. He held open the passenger side door for me,

"I see your quite the gentleman." He smiled that crooked smile that sent my heart into over drive, and I thought that it just might combust. When I got in, he shut the door and made his way to the driver's side while I tried to focus on my breathing. We drove along the highway in comfortable silence, which came as a surprise to me, I couldn't share comfortable silence with my father, but I could do it perfectly well with a boy I met a couple of hours ago.

"Why here?" He asked out of the blue.

"Why where?" I asked, not understanding his question.

"Why here, I mean of all places, here?" He glanced over at me, "I live here, so I can see why it's a nice place, but what about you?"

I explained to him about the fishing competition, and how it wasn't really choice.

"Well, I'm glad you came." He looked over at me and smiled.

"Me too." He had no idea how his words made my heart flutter.

"So where are we going anyway?" I asked hoping Alice hadn't gotten the time to tell him that I wasn't supposed to know.

"Just a little spot we go to, to have fun." He stayed focused on the road as he answered nonchalantly, but I was on to him.

"Alice told you huh?" He started laughing, and nodded his head.

"Sorry." His laughing began to die down.

"Can you at least give me a hint?" I asked slash begged.

"Um, dancing" He must have seen my face, because he started laughing all over again. I was frozen in place, not dancing, anything but dancing. It wasn't that I was bad at it, but I hadn't danced at a social outing in years, albeit it was by choice, but there was a reason behind that choice. My heart was pounding now, plus there was no way I could dance in the heels Alice had forced me into, there was just no physical way.

"You okay?" Edward asked, still a hint of laughter in his musical voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine it's just, well, I don't dance, I can't, I had a really bad experience that put me off dancing for life. Sorry, but this just isn't going to happen." I explained.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Pardon?"

"What happened, what was the really bad experience?" He asked curiously, I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. I really didn't want to tell him. I had kept this secret buried away in my vault of bad memories.

"Come on Bella, you have to tell me now, it's not like I can read your mind. Plus now you've got me really interested, you can't not tell me." He pleaded, I took a deep breath and began my story,

"Okay, so I was at the seventh/eighth grade dance and they played a slow song. I was leaning against the wall waiting to be asked to dance, even thought I didn't expect anyone to ask me. But then walk over Lou Romano, one of the most popular eighth graders at our school, at first I was going to say no, for fear of tripping and embarrassing myself, but my friend Angela answered for me. The next thing I knew, I was dancing with Lou Romano. Well we ended up dancing with our arms fully outstretched, mine on his shoulders, his just below my ribcage. There was at least a foot and a half between us, but to me, I was happy, not only was I managing to stay on beat as we swayed, but I hadn't done one clumsy thing. I looked over to Angela and she mouthed 'having fun', I nodded my head, and the clip I had been using to hold my hair up slipped out and fell to the floor. Both Lou and I reached for it, I grabbed it and went to stand back up, but as I did I hit Lou's face with my head, he fell backward and his nose started to bleed. And as if that wasn't bad enough, quick side story, when I see blood I start to feel dizzy and queasy. I started to feel sick when I saw all the blood, so I ran to the bathroom, but before I could get inside, the entire contents of my stomach emptied themselves onto the middle of the dance floor. So after that night I swore off dancing." I let out quickly, before staring at my hands as if they were the most fascinating things in the world. When he didn't say anything I looked up, the blush on my cheeks quite evident. Edward was looking at me and then he burst out laughing, my embarrassment quickly faded to anger, I folded my arms against my chest and stared out my window. He finally managed to calm down and speak,

"Bella?" I didn't answer him, "Bella you have to admit it was a little funny, in hindsight. At the time it was terrible, and I wouldn't have dreamed of laughing, but now it's quite comical." I willed myself not to smile, but I did anyway, thinking back on my dancing ordeal, it had been pretty funny. Then Edward reached over and took my hand, which made me smile even wider and my heart speed up.

"Don't worry," He looked up to me, "I won't let you break anyone's nose." He made something that would seem so laughable, sincere. His eyes turned back to the road.

"Thanks." I chuckled. He just squeezed my hand. We drove in silence for a while, I just stared out the window at the cars we were passing, each of them moving slowly, which surprised me, I turned to look at our speedometer, when I saw our speed I did something highly unintelligent because if his hands were to turn one way or the other in the slightest we would lose control and crash, but I didn't think that far ahead when I screamed at him,

"Oh my God!" Edward jumped slightly but his hands never shifted,

"What? What's wrong?" He asked, slightly panicked, he looked me up and down, checking for injuries, his eyes lingered a little on my legs, but then he looked up to me.

"Do you know how fast your going?" I asked, my voice an octave higher than normal. His faced washed with relief as he turned his attention back to the road.

"Bella," He chuckled, "This is how I drive, and not to mention have you seen the actual highway, it's pretty much just a straight line, but if it would please you," The speed on the speedometer began to decline and leveled out at 80, "There, better?" He asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice,

"Yes," I said a little harshly, I was upset he was acting as if I were being silly, "Sorry I don't want to end up wrapped around a tree."

"Bella, I always drive this fast," He complained

"And that's supposed to make me feel better about you going _115_ on a highway?" I argued. He just smiled,

"No it's not, I'm sorry." He squeezed my hand once more to reassure me. I calmed down and we rode in silence until we got off the highway ten minutes later. The town we were driving through was so beautiful, there were lights in all the buildings and little shops cluttered the sidewalks. There were people wandering around just having a good time.

"What do you think?" Edward asked as I stared out the window.

"It's beautiful." I said as he pulled onto a side street and parked. He pulled the keys out of the ignition, but made no move to get out.

"So, what now?" I asked.

"Now, we wait for everyone else to get here." We sat quietly and for the first time that night, this silence was quite awkward.

"Alice." I grumbled.

"Sorry?"

"Alice, I now understand her inner workings."

"How do you mean?" He asked as he leaned back against his door and faced me.

"You, me alone in a car together, anything sounding like Alice to you? Because it is for me." He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose,

"Ah, Alice." He said with a smile before opening his eyes to look at me.

"Does she do this often?" Not that I completely minded her scheming if it gave me time with Edward.

"Well once, about a year after we moved here Alice made a couple of friends, and she set me up with one of them." He stopped looking a little sheepish.

"And?" I urged him to continue.

"Well, I scared her off. I didn't want to hurt her feelings by saying no, so instead I was a complete pig at dinner. Halfway through, she got up and left." He finally let out. I started cracking up, I couldn't help it, my stomach started to ache and I felt tears forming in my eyes.

"Stop it, please. It wasn't that funny." He pleaded. Finally I managed to sober up, but I couldn't wipe the smile from my face,

"And me? What are your plans for me? You've been a perfect gentleman all night." I pointed out.

"Well the night isn't over yet now is it? There is still plenty of time to scare you off." He said matching my smile with a one that made my heart pound.

"Is that what you want?" I asked feigning hurt.

"No. This is." He then leaned in and placed a hand on my cheek, pulling me to him. My heart was in my ears, I wanted this, the feel of his lips pressed against mine, our tongues moving in unison, and the taste! His eyes flickered from my lips to my eyes and back, then he leaned in slowly, our lips were and inch apart when there was a loud rapping on my window. We both jumped and turned to see Emmett, standing outside my door, arms folded and a smug look on his face.

"Okay, out of the car you two, that's enough of that." Edward groaned and got out, as did I. Edward and I were leaning against my side of the car while Emmett stood in front of us. He cuffed Edward on the back of the head,

"Jeez Edward, she's been here what?" He looked down at his watch, "Seven hours" Wow had it really only been seven hours? It felt like days, I had already come to love both the Cullens and the Hales.

"And already you're trying to get in her pants, show some decorum man!" He reprimanded with a smile. I felt my blush creeping back up at where our conversation had turned to.

"Woah! Back up there Emmett, who said anything about getting into _my_ pants?" I asked blushing, and a little upset Emmett had stopped me from kissing Edward.

"No one, I was doing the right thing Bella, this man here was taking advantage of you!" He was still smiling,

"So! I don't care if he was taking advantage of me, I want him to." As soon as the words were out of my mouth I realized what I had said, my cheeks were bright red, I knew it. My eyes got wide and I clasped my hand over my mouth. Both boys were staring at me. Edward was smiling his crooked smile, while Emmet just stood there mouth wide open, then he started to laugh.

"Well that was unexpected, Bella I think you will fit in here with us quite well." Emmett laughed. That's when I noticed that he was the only one here.

"Weren't you driving?" I asked a little panicked and still a touch embarrassed.

"Well before I can answer that I must tell you about the car ride up here." He then stared off over our shoulders as if reminiscing and began his story, I was paying attention until Edward slipped his hand into mine. I looked over at him, he was looking at Emmett but I could see a slight smile playing on the corner of his lips. I looked back to Emmett and Edward began to rub slow circles into the back of my hand that made my knees go weak, had I not been leaning against the car, I'm pretty sure my legs would have given out. His hand slowly traveled upward to my wrist, and he let go altogether. Then he slipped his arm around my back and around my waist. His hand rested on my hip and he began his agonizingly slow circles all over again on my hip bone, my heart nearly stopped and I let out a small moan. Which grabbed the attention of Emmett, who stopped talking and looked between Edward's hand on my waist and my half dazed expression.

"Alright! That's it!" He shouted throwing his hands in the air. He pushed us apart and leaned back against the car in between us. He took one look at the pout on my face before he started laughing,

"You two are incorrigible!" Edward chuckled at this, looking over Emmett he threw me a wink. I smiled back.

"Stop that!" Emmett ordered, " You're grossing _me_ out! And Edward, you know that's saying something." Edward and I laughed.

"What's so funny?" We heard Jasper ask us, he, Alice, and Rosalie were walking over to us,

"Aside from the expression on Emmett's face." Jasper continued. At this Edward and I were laughing so hard that he was in tears, and I could barely breathe.

"Thank God you're here!" Emmett rushed over and pulled Rosalie into a hug, Edward and I fell onto each other, unable to stop laughing.

"Emmett, is there a reason your squashing me?" Rosalie choked out.

"Sorry, but Eddie here," He jerked a thumb at Edward, and Edward stopped laughing almost at once, which made me nearly pee myself.

"He couldn't keep his _hands_ off Bella, not that she minded as she so bluntly stated. But you know, it made me a little uncomfortable." Emmett told everyone.

"Oh please, like you guys aren't the same way," Edward defended us, "And Em, call me Eddie again and I will, well, you know exactly what I'll do, don't you." Edward smiled smugly as Emmett's eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth to say something, but Alice cut him off,

"Not that this isn't interesting, but can we go?" She walked out onto the main street, hand in hand with Jasper. Emmett and Rosalie followed, as did we.

"So anyone going to tell me where we're going?" I asked impatiently as Edward took my hand. Alice just pointed to a big building across the street from us. Outside people were waiting online to get in, all dressed to party. Through the windows of the building, flashing lights could be seen, and I could hear the music from where I was standing. On the front of the building above the door was the name of the nightclub, _Twilight_.

**REVIEW PEOPLE!! Next chapter: September 19, 2008**


	3. First Dance

**Okay Everyone sorry this on is so incredibly short! but because its short, I am also going to update tomorrow. See I have to hand write things before I can type them and well, I started typing tonight, but the probs was I stayed up till 6:30 in the am last night/this morning, then woke up at 7 to go to school, so im kinda pooped, but I will finish tomorrow and update then too! thanx and sorry again!**

**xoxox devine rose- now on with the story!**

Alice led the way across the street right up to the front door, confidently by-passing the ever growing line, and ignoring the seething glares aimed at us for her cutting. The bouncer took one look at Alice and the rest of our group, said a polite 'Hello' to Alice, then lifted the black rope letting us in. The inside of the club was huge, there were two floors. On the first was the dance floor, which took up most of the space, there were a couple of tall tables scattered around the edge but not many. In one corner, on an elevated platform, was the DJ's booth, he was playing Disturbia. The back corners of the club each held a flight of stairs leading to the second level. The second floor was set up like a wrap around balcony, against the far wall was the bar, there was a VIP area, and more tables. There were people everywhere, dancing on the floor, at the bar, leaning on the balcony railing, and people sitting at the tables. Edward took my hand and we made our way to the second floor, Alice managed to snag one of the last free VIP tables. It was a circular booth with a table in the middle, big enough to fit all of us comfortably, we slid into the seats, Edward was at one end and I was at the other, across from him. Everyone sat and we talked for a while until Edward nudged my leg with his foot. I looked at him, he gestured with his head to the dance floor. I gave him an 'Are you crazy?' look, he just nodded. I shook my head, his lip jutted out just a little as if to say 'please, I'll do anything.'. I just shook my head again.

"Are you two conversing without words?" Alice asked surprised, and everyone looked at us. I thought about it for a second, we really had been having a conversation without talking.

"I knew it!" Alice said clapping her hands,

"You two are-" I cut her off by jumping up and offering a hand to Edward,

"Dance?" I asked, he looked at me surprised, then he grabbed my hand and led me downstairs. He helped me down the stairs because of my heels, and we made it down them safe and sound. We walked to the dance floor,

"Edward, I still can't dance though." I shouted over the music of Snoop Dogg's Drop it Like its Hot. Edward turned to me and smiled,

"Don't worry I won't let you hurt me." He said softly in my ear before turning and leading me to the middle of the dance floor, not giving me a chance to retaliate. When he stopped he turned to me,

"Turn around." I did as he instructed.

"Now just do what I do." He came up and placed his hands on my hips, pulling me into him. He swayed us effortlessly back and forth to the beat. He pulled me in tighter and I felt the same quivering in my stomach. The song ended, but we never stopped, the only thing that changed was the timing of our swaying. The longer we danced the more my confidence grew. Halfway through Dangerous I decided to try something new, while still moving I managed to steady myself and then I slowly ground my way down Edward's body. I felt him freeze, as I made my way back up making sure every inch of my body was pressed against his.

"That, was amazing." He whispered in my ear when I was fully upright. His voice came out a little huskier than usual, but I liked it. We started dancing again and this time I put one of my arms back around his neck and leaned my head into the crook of his neck,

"We have and audience." Edward said into my ear. I looked up and there was Alice, Jasper, and Emmett, they were all clapping and cheering, but I could barely hear them over the music. I laughed, and they came down to join in on the dancing. After a bunch of songs Alice proclaimed she had to go to the bathroom and Rosalie needed a drink. The boys went to get the drinks while Alice dragged Rosalie and I into the bathroom, which was packed. Girls at the mirror, girls waiting to use the bathroom, _and_ all of their friends.

"You know Al, Bella and I are going to wait outside, it's a little packed in here." Rosalie offered, Alice looked at her suspiciously, but finally nodded. Rosalie and I exited the crowded bathroom, and leaned against the wall opposite the bathroom door. We were waiting no longer than a minute before a guy came up to us, he was tall with a round boyish face, blue eyes, and spiky blonde hair.

"Hi Rosalie." He said to Rosalie, then he saw me standing with her, he looked at me and wouldn't stop. He was cute, but no Edward, and he seemed a little bit childlike. Rosalie had ignored him until she looked up and saw the way he was looking at me.

"Mike, have you met Bella yet? She's in town for the summer." Rosalie said with a smile that was faker than cheap knockoff. But Mike couldn't tell, because he hadn't looked at her once since he said hello.

"Bella." He said softly holding out his hand, "I'm Mike." He said, it sounded now as if he was trying to be a bit more manly, I wanted to laugh, but instead I shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you." I said politely.

"Pleasures all mine. Hey, would you like to dance?" His eyes were wide and hopeful, he looked a little like a puppy. I was about to politely decline despite his puppy dog eyes, when Rosalie answered for me,

"She'd love to. Go on Bella, it'll be fun." I doubted that, but to say no, now it would be rude, and he seemed sweet enough, plus it was just one dance.

"Sure." I said to Mike, he got this big goofy grin on his face and he took my hand in his, which was cold and clammy, nothing like Edward's. He took me out to the dance floor, and pulled me into him like Edward had, only instead of placing his hands on my hips, he put them on my bare thighs. It was weird but I didn't move them, not wanting to be awkward, so long as they didn't move. Dancing with Mike wasn't as bad, just clumsy. He would sway off beat while I tried to stay on beat, which ended up in me stepping on his toes once or twice. I heard peals of laughter coming from above, I looked up and everyone was laughing, I felt my cheeks turn bright pink as I laughed along with them. The song ended and I tried to pull away, but Mike held fast, so I continued to dance. Everyone was still laughing and I mouthed 'help' to Edward, he nodded. He said something to Emmett who started laughing even harder, before coming down, now all I had to do was wait. I felt Mike stop moving behind me and I heard Edward's voice.

"Sorry, Newton, mind if I cut in?" He asked politely. Mike looked down at me hoping that I might tell Edward to go away because I wanted to dance with Mike, but instead I just thanked him for the dance and he walked away.

"Thank you." I said to Edward

"Anytime." He said with the crooked smile that made the butterflies in my stomach act up. He pulled me into his arms for the slow song that had just started. I rested my head on his chest as he swayed us gently. We didn't say anything, didn't need to, we just swayed to the music, in our own little bubble.

**Next update: September 20, 2008**

**Preview: **

"Breath Bella."


	4. Teasing

**Hi everyone,**

**I got a couple of reviews asking for EPOV. and I want to let you know that the story will have other peoples pov cough Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Edward cough but only if it will help u understand the story, or just make it better, so it will really be all Bella except for certain parts! **

**And I have a question, in the chapter Riding in cars... Emmett was with Edward and Bella when he was supposed to be driving, I wrote a little side story as to why, would you like me to post it?**

**One last thing before I continue with the story, I would just like to thank cem1818 for always reviewing! Thank you!**

**xoxo Devinerose, now back to the story...**

**I Own None of these characters**

* * *

When the song ended everyone else joined us on the dance floor and after a few songs I got really thirsty. Edward and I left the group on the dance floor and went up to our booth.

"Wow it's hot down there." I said as I flopped down into the booth. Edward sat across from me and slid me a glass of coke. I felt like teasing him,

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" I said trying to fake seriousness, his eyebrows went up.

"Yes, of course. My plan is to get you completely smashed so that way you won't use your proper judgement and then I could easily bring you back to my secret playhouse and make sweet, sweet love to you." He said without once breaking into a smile, I blushed at Edward mention us sleeping together and then I burst out laughing.

"Don't be ridiculous Bella, it's jut a coke." He said with a smile.

"I know," I said taking a sip of the ice cold drink, "I was just teasing you." I saw something flash in his eyes and his lips turned upward in an evil grin. Uh-oh. He slid across the booth and over to me. He placed one of his hands on the inside of my knee and began to trace slow patterns that I thought just might get burned into my skin. Then with his eyes on mine he gently placed a kiss on my exposed shoulder. I felt my eyes close of their own accord as he began to kiss his way slowly from my shoulder, up my neck and to my ear. I thought my heart just might give out at the speed it was going. He wasn't doing anything more than butterfly kisses, but it made my breathing uneven. His lips made their way across my jaw and he stopped at my chin. I finally opened my eyes to his emerald ones staring back into mine, and his lips were inches from mine,

"So you like teasing?" He asked with a smile, I felt his cool breath on my face, it stunned me and I could only nod. I was dying to have his lips on mine, I closed my eyes and waited,

"So do I." He said. I opened my eyes and saw he had slid over to his side of the booth. I sat there dazed and confused. He saw my expression and he began to laugh. Although it wasn't like his usual musical laugh, it was breathy and strained, as if he didn't want to pull away any more than I had wanted him to.

"You're a monster." I said trying to slow my breathing down.

"See you don't like to be teased either, but I'll have you know, it was very hard to stop just now." He admitted with a smile. I was about to ask why when Mike showed up at our table.

"Hey Edward, um hi Bella. I'm about to leave and I was wondering," He seemed really nervous, even stealing a couple of glances at Edward to test his reaction, "If I could have one more dance before I left?" The last part came out in a rush. I knew it was wrong, and I shouldn't, but I did want to get Edward back for his little prank, and Mike provided the perfect opportunity. I looked from Mike to Edward, he was staring at me, and he slightly shook his head. A slow smile crept over my face and I looked up at Mike.

"Sure." I said, and his got the same dopey grin on his face. He held out his hand to help me up, I took it ignoring Edward's clenched jaw and seething glare. Mike led the way down to the dance floor. The DJ was playing another slow song, which I was grateful for because I didn't think I could handle another fast song with Mike. His hands rested on my lower back throughout the dance, which was a good thing because if they moved lower, I don't think Edward would be saving me. When the song ended he reluctantly let go, and said his goodbye,

"I'll see you around though, right?" He asked hopefully.

"Most likely." I answered, he seemed like he could be a good friend, but nothing more. Then he left, I made my way back to our booth, everyone was already sitting there, as I got closer Emmett shouted,

"All hail Bella, queen of bitchy payback!" I blushed as he raised his hand for a high five, I smacked mine against his. Everyone but Edward was clapping. Even Rosalie uttered a short 'congratulations'. I sat down in my spot,

"Are you serious? Did you see what she did?" Edward grumbled, he looked a little bit like a child who hadn't gotten his way, as he sat there with his arms folded across his chest and his brow furrowed.

"Yes of course we saw! We also saw what you did! Did you seriously expect her not to get payback? Especially since the perfect form of it came up and practically handed it to her?" Emmett asked incredulously. Edward ignored the question and looked out across the dance floor, the table conversation changed to something else. I suddenly felt very guilty looking at Edward, I had danced with another guy just because he teased me for teasing _him_.

"Don't feel guilty, he deserved it." Jasper suddenly whispered in my ear. I looked up at him and he winked, making me feel a little better, but not completely, Jasper turned to Edward,

"Edward, knock it off with the guilt trip, you teased her, and she got you back. Get over it and ask her to dance." Jasper said condescendingly. I looked at Edward, his lips turned up into the crooked smile that I loved,

"Would you like to dance?" He asked, I was about to say 'yes' when Alice cut me off.

"No she wouldn't, she would rather dance with Rose and I, one girls dance before we leave. You guys get our stuff while we three give one last hurrah for the night." We all laughed and Edward winked at me then nodded, and I knew I was forgiven. Alice led us to the dance floor, they were playing 'Get Low' by Lil' Jon and the Eastside Boyz. Every time they said get low, Alice Rosalie and I would all drop to the floor and come back up slowly, which I was surprised that I could do in heels, on my own. Then when they called out 'to the window', the entire club raised their arms in the air and pointed to the widows, then they did the same with the walls. By the time we were done dancing, the three of us were laughing like crazy. We looked up and saw all three boys cheering over the balcony.

They came down with our stuff, and we all walked out together. We said quick goodbyes and we all got into our separate cars, but not before I heard Emmett say to Alice and Jasper, "Don't even think about it this time." I laughed wondering what that was about. Before Edward started the car I held out my hand to him,

"Truce?" I asked. He looked at me then my hand and smiled.

"Truce." He said taking my hand. Then he let go and started the car. I reached down and pulled off my shoes, wincing as I took each one off.

"Owwww." I groaned once they were off, I leaned down and gently rubbed them trying to get feeling in them.

"Alice will be Alice," Was all Edward said as he pulled out onto the main road.

"Oh great." I mumbled.

I waited until we were on the highway, and then I assumed it was safe to ask,

"Were you really upset that I danced with Mike?"

"Well I wouldn't say upset, it was just." He stopped not wanting to own up to whatever it was.

"Just what?" I pushed.

"You're going to make me say it." He let out a big sigh and I waited.

"I guess I was jealous." He admitted.

"What?" That was weird, no one had ever been jealous for me before.

"I was jealous, okay? I'm not used to being jealous, never had any reason to be. But seeing you dance with Mike tonight, well it stirred up some unused feelings." He looked at me.

"Really, you actually thought _you_ had a reason to be jealous of _Mike_?" I asked surprised.

"It wasn't Mike, you could have been dancing with the ugliest guy in the world and I would have been jealous." I honestly didn't know what to say, so instead of saying anything, I leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek. He looked at me and smiled. I rested my head on his shoulder, he took my hand and we sat in companionable silence for the rest of the ride home.

"Sorry I teased you earlier." He said as he pulled into his driveway, all the lights in the house were off except for one on the first floor.

"That's okay, to be completely honest, I liked it." I felt a blush creep up into my cheeks. He put the car in park and pulled out the keys.

"Oh really?" He asked looking down at me, and I nodded. Something sparkled in his eyes, and then he got out. I watched him walk to my side and open the door. He held out his hand, I took it and he helped me out of the car. Then he shut the door, and pinned me against the car using his entire body. I felt my heart race and the butterflies kick up again. His hands latched onto my hips, and he moved his lips to my shoulder like he had back in the club, but this time it seemed more urgent, and I realized he was now longer teasing. His lips made their way to the crook of my neck, and I felt his teeth gently nip at my neck. It felt so good, I let my head fall back onto the roof of the car to give him better access, and because I could barely hold it up on my own. He began to slowly suck at the skin I let out a soft moan and I knew if I hadn't been leaning against the car, my knees would have given out. His hands began to squeeze my hips, he pressed his palms against my hip bone and began to slowly massage. My breath caught, and then I gave up on breathing altogether, I was too distracted by his mind blowing actions. He noticed my lack of respiration and whispered into my neck,

"Breath Bella." I took in a ragged breath, he continued to play with my hips and I tried to remember to keep breathing. Then one of his hands steadily began to skim downwards, his entire hand pressed flat against my leg as he trailed down the front of my thigh, the pressure made me moan again. He stopped at my knee, his hand dragged slowly upwards, only this time it was on the back of my thigh. Normally I would be completely uncomfortable, but with Edward I didn't want him to stop, only he did. His hand stopped at the hem of my dress and I liked him even more. His lips began to kiss a path across my jaw, he pulled away a couple of inches, and then he leaned in to place his lips on mine, when once again, we were interrupted.

Someone cleared their throat, Edward and I looked up to see, Emmett, Alice, Rosalie, and Jasper, staring at us, all of them on the porch. I felt my cheeks burn, from their shocked expressions I could tell they had seen everything, Emmett however didn't seem shocked, but instead very, very happy. He pump his fists in the air,

"I told you so! In your faces! Oh Yeah, I told you they were as bad as Rose and I!" He shouted to the group on the porch, before heading inside still laughing.

"Inside you two, it's time for bed." Alice said pointing at us, she was trying to be mad, but her smile gave her away. Then they filed into the house. Edward and I looked at each other, he leaned his forehead against mine, and we both smiled.

"We'd better get inside." He suggested, I nodded. I went back into the car to grab my shoes, I was going to put them back on when Edward scooped me up bridal style. I was about to protest but he cut me off,

"Here are you options, walking in painful heels, walking barefoot on gravel, or let me carry you less tan 20 feet to the front door." He offered, I knew he was right, I nodded and we walked into the house. As soon as we were inside he set me down, but kept his arm around my waist. We walked to Alice's room, he kissed my cheek and said goodnight. I went into Alice's room and I kept my eyes on him as I slowly closed the door.

EPOV

The door shut and I turned to make my way to my own room,

"You!" Emmett whispered loudly, "Get in here. Now!" I went over to his room. When I got inside he and Jasper were staring at me like I had done something terribly wrong.

**Remember let me ****know about the Emmett thing. **

**Next Update: The weekend of September 27, 2008( would be more specific like normal, but its going to be my birthday weekend, so, Im not sure what day i'll be able to update, but I will update**

**Oh two more things, please note that the days I say i'll update, expect the new chapter to be up at around 8 or 9 pm, east coast time. And please REVIEW!**


	5. More Than Friends

**Im really sorry guys, but yesterday was my birthday and i went into the city with my family, and I was planning on updating earlier today but my dad surprised me my taking me shopping! so sorry, I'll make it up to u guys tho.**

**XOXO, devine rose**

**I don't own twilight new moon eclipse breaking dawn, the non existant breaking dawn...**

Emmett and Jasper were standing before me looking a little pissed, for reasons unknown to me.

"What's up?" I asked cautiously, as I shut the door behind me.

"As the great Rizzo once said, 'One guess.'" Jasper said, I remember that scene from _Grease_ The one that had never made much sense until I realized the sexual reference.

"I swear Edward your worse than Henry VIII on crack when it comes to having your hand on a girl(**The Tudors reference)**. You have got to back off man!" Emmett said pointing at me.

"Edward you do realize that you were basically screwing her against a car." Jasper said calmly, although I could tell he was disappointed,

"Need I remind you that you met her this _morning._ Come on Edward what would Esme think if she saw you treating a new acquaintance like that?" Jasper questioned. I thought about it,

"She'd flip that's what!" Emmett near shouted, "Edward you've got to slow it down, get to know her, be friends with her first before throwing her against a wall and tearing her clothes off. For us, okay? We like Bella and so do you, don't let your hormones take over alright, think with the right head!" Emmett finished and they looked at me waiting for me to say something. But how could I? My sex driven older brother and best friend had just told me that I needed to slow down, something I should have remembered on my own. I knew better than this, but with Bella it was if I forgot all my rules and polite behavior. she blinded me like a meteor across the night sky, and I just wanted to feel her skin against my, her lips on mine. I wanted to kick myself for giving in to my selfish desires. It would have to stop, I needed to do the right thing for Bella, go slow, and not push her into this. My body ached at the thought, but thankfully my mind was in control, I wouldn't be giving up Bella, just the physical things. Oh God, kill me now.

Emmett, and I were sitting on the couch watching tv, Jasper and Rosalie had to leave early, something with their mom, when Bella and Alice came down stairs.

"I have to finish unpacking." Bella said, Alice had obviously given her one of her outfits, she was wear navy blue sailor shorts and a plain white t-shirt that was no doubt designer. As soon as I saw her legs, they were long and smooth, I wanted to run my hands along them like I had last night, I couldn't tear my eyes away from them. That is until Emmett smacked me on the back of the head, and I remembered that I wasn't supposed to be thinking things like that, it would only make it harder for me. I couldn't even look at her, I threw her a smile then kept my eyes glued to the tv, trying not to look at her or her legs. I wanted her, bad.

"Well, how about you unpack and meet us on the beach in an hour?" Alice was really funny, she thought everyone could move as quickly as her, I let out a chuckle

"Alice, she is going to need more than an hour to unpack 3 months worth of clothes." I glanced at Bella and she threw me a smile, oh boy, she was going to be my downfall I quickly smiled and returned my eyes to the tv.

"Ok, I guess you're right, how about three hours Bella?" Alice offered.

"Works for me." She answered.

"We better get you home." Alice said reaching for her keys. I leaned forward, and opened my mouth about to ask if I could take her, when Emmett's hand landed on my shoulder, keeping me in place,

"Okay, we'll stay here." Emmett said from his spot with a smile. I couldn't bear to look at Bella, it was so unfair.

"Lets go Bella." Bella laughed her goodbyes as Alice yanked her out of the door.

**BPOV**

"Bella I have to ask you something." Alice said as she started the car.

"Um okay." This of course got me a little nervous.

"Has my brother seemed okay to you?" She asked, I let out a small chuckle.

"Alice I've known your brother for 24 hours, I don't really know the difference between okay, and not okay. But if this is not ok, I don't care, to be honest I like it." I admitted quietly my cheeks turning pink.

"Really?" She asked skeptically.

"Yeah. He has been really nice and really sweet. I mean it it would be nice if he kissed me though." I felt my cheeks burn.

"Wow!" She said with a laugh, "You're gone."

"I know," I laughed with her, "But Alice don't tell him, promise?" We had arrived at my house and she turned to me holding out her pinkie,

"Pinkie swear." I laughed harder and locked pinkies with her before grabbing my bag and getting out. My bag was now two sizes bigger than it was when I left my house the day before, thanks to Alice. She waited until I got inside before she drove away. When I got inside there was a note left on the kitchen table,

_Bells,_

_Mr. Hale invited me fishing. Be back later(6)_

_Love Dad_

I went to my room to unpack, surprisingly enough it did only take an hour, and I was already dressed for the beach thanks to Alice. I pulled out a beach towel and set it on my bed for when they got here. I went to the cupboard to see what I could make for dinner, only to find there was nothing there. I checked the clock, it was only 1:15, I still had an hour and 45 minutes, I remembered the little mom and pop grocery store on the way here from the Cullens, I made a grocery list of all the things we'd need for the week. The car keys were on the hook and I grabbed the money from my bag, Charlie must have car pooled since the car was still here. The name of the store was _Newton's_, hadn't Edward called Mike, Newton? I parked and went into the store, there were people milling about getting their weekly shopping done. I grabbed a basket and began crossing things off my list. I was almost done except I couldn't find the rice that I would use for dinner tonight. I was about to leave without it when I saw someone stacking items on a shelf, I went up to him,

"Hi, I'm look-" He turned around, it was Mike.

"Oh, hi Mike. I didn't know you worked here."

"Bella, Hi. Yeah my parents own the store so I work over the summer. Can I help you with something?" He seemed so eager, it was really cute.

"Yeah, I was looking for the rice, but I couldn't find it anywhere. You wouldn't happen to know where it is would you?" I asked politely.

"Rice, should be over her." He said as he led me two isles down, and on the top shelf was a wide selection of rice. I grabbed the one I needed,

"Thanks Mike."

"No problem," He said turning to leave, he was halfway down the isle before he turned back to me.

"Bella," I looked up, "I'm having a party with my grade, at my house this weekend, and well, would you like to come?" There was that same nervousness he had in the club when he asked me to dance. I thought about it, his whole grade included Alice and Edward,

"Sure, why not?" His eyes lit up and he walked back over, writing all the information down on the back of my grocery list.

"Great, so I'll see you there." He said, walking backward to the end of the isle,

"Yep."

"Bye Bella."

"Bye Mike." I said as he disappeared behind an isle wall. I went to the register, paid, then went home. I had just finished unpacking when there was a knock on the door. I checked the clock, 3 on the nose, I laughed. I opened the door for Edward and Alice, they were standing on the porch, Alice pulled me into a hug, while Edward had just smiled and said hi. It was weird her had been distant all morning, it felt weird, and it hurt a little.

"Hi." Alice looked between the two of us wide-eyed, then she broke the silence.

"So, Bella you ready?" I nodded before running to grab my towel, when I got back to the door, Alice had already headed down the rocks. I had a feeling Edward was avoiding touching me, which felt weird, I tested my theory by reaching out my hand to take his, as soon as our fingers touched, he pulled his hand away, running it through his gorgeous hair. He didn't want to hold my hand, I felt a soft pang in my heart as we headed to the beach.

"So how did you sleep last night?" He asked, he was just asking routine questions now.

"Fine, you?" I asked politely, not really wanting an answer. It was awkward, we had never been awkward. I felt like crying, he didn't want to do this, do _us_. He had tried it and didn't like it, despite what I had thought. I must have been wrong, and for some reason, at the thought of that, my heart broke.

"I slept fine as well." He answered, smiling at me. We continued on, he asked meaningless questions about how I was enjoying my time there, and how it was different. When we got to the blanket, everyone was staring at us. We were standing a foot apart from each other, but Alice was the only one shocked, Rosalie was wearing a smug smile that made me sick, and Emmett and Jasper were looking only at me and my pained expression looking rather guilty about something. We all waited silently for someone to say something. Once again it was Alice,

"Girls, lets go feel the water." She and Rosalie got up, Alice linked arms with Rosalie and I and we walked down to the water's edge. When we got there Alice asked,

"What's up with you two?" I dipped my toes in the water, it was freezing. I looked up to see them both waiting for my answer,

"I don't know, he has been like this all morning. I guess he just doesn't like me as much as I thought." I said casually, despite the pain it caused, they both looked skeptical.

"I refuse to believe that Bella, and you should too." Alice said, I ignored her words,

"We should get back." I offered and we turned around, Jasper and Emmett were talking with Edward, he was just shaking his head, they seemed to be arguing about something,

"What do you think they're talking about?" I asked, both girls shrugged.

Then Emmet threw his hands in the airs, as if to say, 'I quit', and plopped down on the blanket. When we got back we laid down as the boys played catch, we then continued our day at the beach. After a couple of hours, we were ready to go. Alice asked if I wanted to come over for dinner, but I told her I should hang out with Charlie, because he was helpless when it came to dinner, but we made plans to meet at the beach again tomorrow. I helped them put the stuff away, and was about to leave with Jasper and Rosalie when Edward stopped me. I decided to test Alice's theory that he did like me, by throwing my arms around his neck and leaning in to kiss him, he pulled back. I dropped my arms, and felt the tears start to form, but I held them back and turned to go. His hand reached out and grabbed my wrist, I turned back around to face him,

"Bella I like you, I really do, but I think that it would be better if we started out as just friends instead of jumping right into something. Bella I don't want to push you. I want to be more than friends, but just not right now, not at first." His eyes were pleading with me. I nodded, he just wanted to be friends, I could do that, if it was what he wanted, even thought I wanted so much more than that.

"Thank you Bella." He said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye." I said, he kissed my cheek and then left.

The rest of the week passed uneventfully, Edward and I kept to our 'friends for now' status, and it wasn't until Friday that I remembered Mike's party. I was with Jasper, Edward, and Alice, Rosalie and Emmett were on a date. We were watching a movie at the Cullen's when I turned to Alice,

"Alice, I completely forgot, but are you going to Mike's party tomorrow?" She looked puzzled at first but then she remembered.

"Oh, right, I forgot too. Edward and I were planning on going, I was going to invite you, but how did you find out?" She wasn't trying to interrogate me she was genuinely curious.

"Mike invited me," Edward looked up when I said this, "When I saw him grocery shopping."

"Do you know what this means Bella?" I shook my head, I was scared to answer.

"Shopping!" She exclaimed clapping her hands.

We said goodbye to the boys and got into her car. The drive to mall wasn't very long, and the mall was huge, bigger than the one in Forks, although everything in the world was probably bigger than Forks.**(no offense to forks, just thought that would work)** I went to get out of the car but Alice stopped me.

"Bella on monday, what _exactly_ did Edward say to you after the beach?" She asked, I told her word for word, I would never forget what he said. A smile creeped onto her face when I was done telling her as if something had just dawned on her.

"Just what I thought! Bella I know exactly what to do, but can you trust me enough to let me do it? If you do Edward will be putty in you hands." I thought about it for a second before nodding, Alice cracked a most evil and conniving grin.

* * *

**Review, please, i wont not update, but could i get ten reviews, please, thats all i ask?? Next Update: October 5, 2008**


	6. Bend and Snap in a box!

**Hola Y'alls! Anyway Im glad u guys liked your little treat, I thought u would, anyway this chapter picks up from where that one left off. And peoples, i know how many people read this story, and the amount of reviews i've been getting has been kinda low so come on people, review, I beg of you. And to those who have been reviewing, THANK YOU so much i really appreciate it and it give me more motivation to write! so keep it up! Anyway back to the story**

xoxo, DeViNeRoSe 

"Bella darling, why don't you wear just underwear everyday?" Alice asked with a smile, I laughed as I blushed.

"Honestly, you're totally hot, Edward would love this." She said looking at the underwear set I was wearing. It was a navy blue push up that was covered in a gold floral lace, paired with underwear that had the same style.

"Um thank you?" It came out as an unintentional question, but I was still unsure of the reasons behind buying this,

"Alice, I hope you know that I have no intention of showing this to anyone if I were to get it."

"First, you are going to get it and second, I know that, hell I hope for that. But still having great underwear like this is always the perfect confidence booster. Bella, if you really want Edward now, we have got to work on your confidence and ability to take charge, because right now, he is trying his hardest to keep his hands off you. Of course this is out of respect for you, he thinks this is what you want despite what we have all tried to tell him. So, if you really want him, you have got to get him to change his mind, which is no easy task, and I know from past experience." She said seriously, now I was nervous.

"Bella, I'm afraid I have some bad news, to make Edward see the error of his ways, we're going to have to show him what he has given up. I have part of that plan in the mail, but the other part is all you girlie. Are you willing to do it?" She asked, she seemed unsure of what my response would be. I thought about it for a second before nodding.

"Okay so here is the plan, you are just going to flirt with any guy that comes up to you tomorrow." At least she was straightforward.

"What?! I can't do that, I can barely hold a conversation with guys I know, what makes you think I can flirt with random strangers?" I asked pointing out the flaws in her plan.

"Well they aren't random, they got to our school, and I'll introduce you to them first" She said in a 'duh' kind of way,

"Alice!"

"Well I will." She said as if even she knew that wasn't an adequate response. "Bella." She sighed when she saw the fear on my face.

"Okay, how about we just start with Mike and see how that goes, okay?" She propositioned.

"Alright, I'll try." I said knowing that would be the best deal that I could get.

"Good. Remember I'm doing this for you hon, trust me on this. Now why don't you get changed? Hand me the stuff you tried on." She said smiling as she held out her hand. I groaned but handed it to her anyway, to tired to put up a fight I knew I would lose. I got changed as she paid, then we walked out piles of bags to the car. She started the car and I checked the time, I felt my eyes bulge when I realized we had been at the mall for four hours,

"Bella this was nothing." Alice said with a giggle after seeing my expression.

"And we got everything, Dresses? Check. Makeup? Check. Shoes? Check." She ran through everything we had bought and thats when I realized, I didn't have shoes,

"Alice, what should I do for shoes?"

"Oh don't worry, I called in a favor and ordered you something." She said nonchalantly. My jaw hung open, she reached over and shut it with her finger before pulling out of our parking spot.

"Bella, do you think you could sleepover after the party?" She asked changing the subject.

"I'd have to ask Charlie, I hadn't even asked about the party yet. Can I use your phone?" I asked.

"Sure it's in my bag." She said pointing to her bag at my feet. The phone was in the side pocket, I pulled it out and dialed Charlie's cell. He picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi dad." I said into the phone

"Hi Bells what's up?"

"Nothing important, but can I stay over Alice's?" I asked hopefully.

"Tonight?" He asked.

"No tomorrow, her friend is throwing a party and she wanted to know if I could stay over after it."

"Party?" Uh-oh, "What kind of party?" He asked suspiciously.

"Just a party." I answered

"Well we can discuss this over dinner." My face fell, he could have just said no. Alice saw my expression and asked if she could come over for dinner, I asked Charlie if that was okay.

"Sure it would be nice to meet your new friend." He said cheerfully, a switch from his previous tone.

"I'm making fish tonight, is that okay?"

"Sounds great Bells, see you when you get here."

"See you." I said as I flipped the phone shut. Alice called Esme to let her know our plan so we went straight to my house. Once we got inside I introduced Alice to Charlie and dropped my bags in my room.

"I still don't understand," Alice said as Charlie headed upstairs to finish watching his game before dinner, "Why didn't you just leave the bags in my car so you wouldn't have to carry them? He's going to say yes." She said confidently.

"Alice trust me, you didn't hear him on the phone, he is going to say no." I said as we went into the kitchen to start dinner.

"Bella you will never learn to trust me will you?" She asked shaking her head.

"I trust you Alice, I just think you're wrong on this count." I said taking the fish from the fridge.

"I, Bella, am never wrong." She said confidently.

Dinner was ready within the hour. Salmon, white rice, and broccoli, pretty basic. Alice set the table so Charlie wouldn't have to, I could see where she was going with this. We were halfway through dinner, which was going very well, Charlie and Alice got along swimmingly, when I was nudged by Alice's foot. I waited for the next break in the conversation, when it came I jumped right in,

"Dad about tomorrow, is it ok?" I asked cautiously.

"I really don't know Bella. I have yet to meet this kid or his parents, I'm not so sure about this Bella, sorry Alice." My heart sank at that.

"Charlie, I completely understand your view of the situation, however I would like to inform you that my parents are letting me attend, and well you met them. They have the same views on party attendance as you do. They think that the Newton's are trustworthy and responsible people, and I swear to you I won't let anything happen to Bella, should you let her attend, I give you my word." Wow, she _was_ good. Charlie was quiet for a moment taking in what Alice had said. I held my breath waiting for his answer, I stole a glance at Alice, she was wearing a confident smile.

"Well Bella, Alice has made a very compelling argument, and how can I argue with that, just make sure you call me when you get back to the Cullen's house, okay?" He asked seriously.

"Of course dad, thank you so much." I agreed. Dinner continued pleasantly,

"It was nice to meet you Charlie." Alice said once we had cleared the table and done the dishes.

"You too Alice, feel free to join us for dinner anytime." He said sincerely.

"Thank you." I walked Alice out to her car, putting my bags into the back seat,

"Told you so." She said with her musical voice

"Oh rub it in why don't you." I teased, she giggled

"Thank you I will." I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"So what time should I come over?" I asked.

"Well the party starts at 8 so how about six?"

"Really Alice only two hours to get ready?" I was honestly surprised.

"No silly, we're not going to the party until 9. Duh, the party doesn't start until after the given time." She laughed.

"Okay, then I will see you at 8." I gave her a hug then she got in the car and drove away. I went back inside but I was too nervous to sleep. According to Alice, if I could pull off my part of her plan tomorrow, in less than 24 hours, Edward would be putty in my hands, the idea of that set the butterflies a flutter. _How_ I would mange to pull off my part, I had no idea.

I was sitting in Alice's room only wearing the blue and gold underwear we had picked out yesterday, waiting for her to come out of her closet with our stuff. When she did, not only was she carrying our dresses and her shoes, but also a big long brown box with black lettering that said, Christian Louboutin , and in the corner of the box it said Paris.

"Alice, you ordered these yesterday?!" I was shocked, how did they get here so fast.

"I told you I called in a favor to get these." She informed me, she set the box on the bed and I went to lift the top to take a peek, she slapped my hand away.

"Clothes, hair, and makeup. Then presents." She said with a smile handing me my dress. I threw it on and sat in the designated 'Bella' chair.

"Where's Rosalie?" I asked when I noticed she wasn't there.

"Oh she and Emmett are out on a date. They'd rather not attend a party thrown by a junior, since they are both seniors." She said as she straightened my hair with the flat iron.

"And Jasper? He's a senior."

"Yes but he's coming with me." Then she leaned in conspiratorially, "He'll pretty much do whatever I want, but God knows I'd do the same for him." She stood back up and continued on my hair until it was stick straight. Then she parted it on the side and threw it up into a tight bun. Afterwards she moved onto my makeup, tonight she made it very subtle, just highlighting my natural features, which I was grateful for. The butterflies were starting to come back now that she was near finished. Once she was done she got herself ready, throwing on heel with her dress that were the same yellow as the sash for her dress. When she was finally done, she sat me back down on the bed and she stood in front of me holding the big box that had my shoes in it.

"Now Bella you should know that what is in this box is equivalent to the 'bend and snap' when it comes to getting boys to fall for you. Do you understand that?" She asked seriously, I nodded and she continued, "Good, and I'll have you know that both Rosalie and I have a pair of these shoes, and they both worked wonders for us when used properly. These are not to be used with malicious intent Bella okay?" I nodded again eager to see what was in the box. She cautiously handed me the box. I opened it slowly and pulled away the tissue paper to reveal...

**EPOV:**

Alice had Kicked Jasper and I out of the house while she and Bella got ready, telling us to meet them at the party. So we did just that, we both got dressed at his house, being away from the watchful eye of Alice it only took the two of us half and hour to shower and get dressed. It was only 8:15 by the time we were done, so we crashed on the couch and turned on the TV. After watching 45 minutes of Gladiator, we got into the volvo. We were taking my car for two reasons, one, I had driven here and two because Jasper was staying over. When we were nearly there Jasper asked,

"So why the sudden desire to actually listen to what Emmett and I tell you?"

"What?"

"The _one_ time we give you the _wrong_ advice you actually decide to listen to us?" He asked.

"Well maybe it's because you were right this time. I needed to slow down, I had just met her and I was trying to stick my tongue down her throat. I was pushing her, and I don't want to do that." I explained for the umpteenth time that week.

"No you weren't pushing her, she wanted you to, and now she thinks you don't like her. If you hadn't of teased her like that, then yes you would be right to get to know her first, but you did tease her, now that you're trying to do the right thing she is taking it the wrong way, she presumes you don't want her. Which everyone knows is far from true." Jasper explained, and I couldn't respond as I pulled into a spot by Mike's house. Maybe he was right, maybe it was time to talk to Bella. We walked up to Mike's house, passing Alice's porsche. There were kids on the front lawn and we could hear the music blasting from inside. When we got inside we decided to split up to find the girls. I went through the kitchen and was about to try the backyard when Jasper came up to me,

"Found them," Then a smirk spread on his face, "You are so fucked." Then he led me to the living room where Bella and Alice were. When I saw Bella I froze. Her hair was in waves and she was wearing a short blue and white stripped dress and a pair of skin tight black suede thigh high boots. They went up to two of inches below the hem of her dress, and all that was running through my mind when I saw them was what it would feel like to run my hands up and down them and watch her eyelids flutter because of me. I was pulled from my day dreams by an annoying laugh that came from the guy she was talking with, who was blatantly flirting with _my_ Bella. Newton.

**Just a heads up the boots are on my profile!  
Remember to REVIEW people(especially if u want special treats from me (well that doesn't sound sketchy at all. hahaha)**

**Next update: October 10, 2008 (8pm-10pm)**


	7. Blue Diablo

**Alright guys, this is the edited version, sry bout that, explanation at the bottom! thanx for reading through the screw ups**

**xoxo devine rose**

Mike continuously stole glances at my legs, and as sweet as he was, it was still a little creepy.

"So do you want something to drink?" He asked.

"Sure." It was then that I noticed Edward in the doorway, he was alternating glares at Mike and looks of lust at me. When he looked at me I did what Alice had told me to do, I smiled and waved like I would normally do, then I followed Mike out of the room. In the kitchen there were multiple basins of different drinks. I reached for the one with the sodas in it, but Mike stopped me,

"Wait, I have something you should totally try." He said as he led me over to the corner of the large kitchen where a guy with jet black hair was standing, working the buttons that was filled with a thick bright blue drink in it.

"Hey Eric." Mike said to the guy working the blender.

"Mike, what's up?" He said, then he turned to me, and before Mike could answer,

"Who's this?" He was looking at me with goo-goo eyes, what was it with the guys in this area? But before Mike could introduce me, I held out my hand to Eric,

"Bella." I threw him a smile, hoping it was enough flirting to satisfy Alice. Apparently it was enough for Eric, his goofy grin widened.

"Eric." He said, he was still holding my hand, and it was making me a little uncomfortable. Mike must have sensed this.

"Eric." Mike said pointedly, Eric looked up at him, and then dropped my hand, blushing harder than me.

"So, is that it?" Mike asked gesturing to the blender.

"It?" I asked cautiously, I never really drank, aside from a glass of champagne at a wedding, or a sip of wine, but I had a feeling it wasn't wine in the blender.

"Yeah it's a twisted version of a-" Mike began explaining before Eric cut him off.

"Blue Diablo. I tried it one day, and it was amazing, so I showed it to Mike and he asked me to make some tonight. It's just the original with more stuff and blended with ice."

"What's the original?" I asked, they both looked at me wide eyed.

"You've never tried one?" Eric asked, being the first to speak, I shook my head.

"Oh then you have to try one before you try mine." He said excitedly.

"No it's okay-" I tried to decline before Mike cut me off,

"Bella you have to. It's not that bad, I promise."

"Yeah, I won't make it that strong." Eric said backing Mike up, well I guess one drink couldn't hurt.

"Alright, but a small one." I said seriously, I wonder what Alice would have said had she known what I was doing. Eric pulled out a glass and began pouring from the bottle of Tequila, he filled the cup half way and the other half with the blue stuff. When he was done he squeezed a little juice from a lemon and a lime, then handed it to me. Both boys were watching as I raised the cup to my lips. I probably should have known not to take a big gulp, but I was kind of nervous and I did anyway. The liquor burned as it made it's way down my throat, I coughed a little, but once I got over the initial feeling I realized it tasted pretty good. Like a blend of citrus, only stronger, I took another sip, finishing it off.

"Not bad." I said, I was beginning to feel warm and fuzzy.

"Good now try this." Eric said taking out two red Dixie cups. The ones you see at the house parties in movies, he filled them with the frozen version of what I had just downed and handed each of us one. This time I took a small sip, the frozen one tasted just as good.

"So Bella, want to go and meet the rest of my class?" Mike asked.

"Sure." I said feeling much more confident, I went to take my first step and I stumbled a little bit, like I hadn't used my feet in days.

"Whoops!" I uttered as Mike caught me at the elbow, and I stood up.

"Thanks, so where do we start?" I asked him.

"Why don't we try outside and work our way in?"

"Works for me." I said.

"Alright then! See ya, man." He said, punching fists with Eric.

"Adios! Bye Bella." Eric said, I threw him a smile and batted my lashes a little bit.

"Bye." I said, he seemed stunned as Mike and I left the room. He walked us toward a group of three. there were two girls and a guy. One girl was blonde with short, choppy hair, like she had tried on Alice's haircut but didn't realize that it made her look like a boy. The other girl had dark curly ringlets that was just about shoulder length, but they were both dressed in short miniskirts and revealing tops. They would have been really pretty had it not been for the excessive amounts of makeup caking their faces. The last person in their little group was a boy, who seemed very nice.

"Hey guys." Mike said as we approached them.

"There is someone I'd like you to meet." They all looked up from their conversations.

"Bella this is Lauren, Jessica, and Tyler." He said pointing to each of them, Lauren was the blonde, Jessica was the brunette, and Tyler was the boy. He was currently looking me up and down, and evidently liking what he saw. Jessica was glaring at me for some reason, and Lauren couldn't take her eyes from my boots, she was staring at them with an envious glare.

"Hi." I said and a chorus of eyes finally met mine.

"So are you two together?" Jessica asked bluntly.

"No." Mike and I answered. Her expression warmed, but I could still see a hint of jealousy behind her eyes. Tyler's eyes lit up.

"So are you visiting?" Tyler asked.

"Just for the summer, yeah." I answered sipping on the drink just for something to do.

"We should hang out sometime!" He said nonchalantly. I felt my eyes go wide, it felt kind of weird, seeing as I had know him for about 30 seconds.

"Um, sure." It came out as more of a question then an agreement.

"Sweet!"

"Hey I love your boots. Where did you get them?" Lauren asked.

"Oh, Alice got them for me, I tried to say no but..." I trailed off and began to blush when I noticed them all staring at me wide eyed, except Lauren was trying to hide her shock with a smug smile.

"Cullen?" She asked. I nodded.

"Oh so you must have met my boyfriend." She said in a sickly sweet voice that made my heart stop, there was only one available Cullen boy.

"You know? Edward." She said when I didn't answer, I felt my heart drop into my stomach. Something in my head was telling me not to believe her, but my guess was the alcohol was clouding my judgement.

"You're dating Edward?" I asked shakily, ignoring Jessica's giggles.

"Yeah we got together at the beginning of the year."

"Well, that's great. Um if you'll excuse me I have to use the rest room. Mike where is it?" They all nodded, and Mike told me where the bathroom was.

"It was nice meeting you all." I waved and walked back into the house, I stumbled a couple of times, but managed to make it inside safely. I was feeling a little bit dizzy, which didn't help my clumsiness, and on top of that, I don't think I was emotionally stable. Which made it hard for me to think rationally, because if I was, instead of running away, I would have found Edward and asked him if it was true. I was at the bottom of the stairs when in my hurry I bumped into Edward.

"Bella, I'm so glad I found you. There's, um, something I have to tell you." He seemed nervous, Edward was never nervous. I knew exactly what he was going to tell me, I felt the tears begin to cloud my vision, I held my hand up to stop him before he could go on.

"I already know, and I don't need to hear it twice. Now would you please excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom." I pushed past him, leaving him stunned, and from what I saw of his eyes, hurt too. How dare _he_ feel hurt? He hurt me, worse than I could have ever imagined. I quickly entered the bathroom, slamming the door behind me, I leaned against it, eye closed. It wasn't until I heard registered the running water coming from my left that I realized there was someone else in there with me. There was a guy standing at the sink washing his hands, he had a wide smile on his face.

"Hi." He said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, it was just I needed an escape from that party and here was the only safe place, I'm so sorry, I'll go." I said hurriedly turning to go.

"No, it's fine, I was actually up here for the same reason." He said drying his hands. He held one out to me,

"James." He said, something about his smile made worried me, but I brushed it off to shake his hand.

"Bella. Nice to meet you." I said introducing myself.

"Oh believe me, the pleasure is all mine." He threw me a smile that sent a chill down my spine.

"Anyway, why are you up here?" He asked.

"Well if you must know." I downed the rest of the frozen drink in my hand, walked over and sat on the closed toilet, and for some reason I explained to him my whole story, which I would have never done, had it not been for the copious amount of alcohol in my system that had loosened my tongue. When I finished, I realized that my believing what Lauren had said was stupid, Edward would never do that to another girl or me. I looked up at James who was sitting on the floor across from me. He was staring at me, I was sitting on the toilet with my ankles crossed, but my knees spread a little more than I would have liked had I been paying attention, and he was staring directly between them. I blushed and shut my legs, I hadn't even noticed, and he didn't seem to care that I had caught him. His eyes just slowly traveled up my body until they locked with mine.

"You've packed a lot into a week. So this guy seems like a real asshole, he nearly hooked up with you while he had a girlfriend." He said standing up and leaning back against the door. Once again I had the realization that he didn't have a girlfriend, she had been lying when she said that. I had to find him, I got up to leave, but James was still blocking the door.

"Edward gets everything doesn't he?" He said, sounding a tad bitter,

"No."

"He gets you, and he gets the rest of the female population in this town, and he never takes advantage of what he has. Well if that's the case, I'm going to take advantage of what he doesn't want." He said and I knew exactly what he meant.

"No James, do-" I tried to object, but then his lips were on mine and his arms were pulling me to him painfully. I squirmed and tried to push him off me, my heart was racing, but not in the way it did when it was Edward's arms that I was in, no it was racing in fear. He used his slimy tongue to pry my lips open, then he shoved it in my mouth. Bad idea, my teeth clenched down on it, and he let me go, I pushed him as hard as I could and he fell to the side, I bolted from the room. The fast movement made my head spin, so when I got downstairs, I sat down on a chair in the living room, my head in my hands, trying to process what had just happened.

"Bella!" I looked up to see Edward coming towards me.

"Hi."

"Bella, what's wrong?" He asked kneeing so he was eye level with me.

"Why don't you go ask your girlfriend?" It came out little slurred. All my beliefs that Lauren had lied went out the window. His eyes went wide.

"My girl- wait what? Bella I don't have a-Bella are you drunk?!" I was surprised he hadn't lost his eyebrows in his perfect hairline yet.

"No. Maybe. Yes. I don't know!" I whined.

"What happened?" He asked seriously.

"Well first Mike and I went to get drinks I went to grab a soda, but he said I had to try this drink that Eric had made, called the Blue Diablo, so I did and well he made me try his version and the original, and well I guess there was a lot of alcohol in both so yeah. Then Mike took me outside to introduce me to some of your class mates, including your 'Girlfriend', who then told me she was your girlfriend, so I thought that that was why you wanted to be 'just friends for now' so I stomped off to hide in the bathroom. But there was already someone in there, his name was James and for some reason I told him the whole story starting from when I got here, and I realized that Lauren was probably lying. But I had a feeling he wasn't listening because he was too busy staring at my crotch, then he started to talk about how you never appreciated what you had and that he would and then despite the fact I said no and tried to push him off, he kissed me so I bit his tongue and ran out of there, and then you found me here and now my head is spinning from lack of oxygen. Owww." I took a deep breath after that. I looked up at him, his eyes were livid, they made me shrink back a little.

"Who kissed you?" He asked through clenched teeth. Had I been sober, I would have realized that I probably shouldn't have to him, but seeing as I wasn't,

"James." He was pissed.

"Come on." He took my hand and helped me up, I fell into him, but he didn't falter, just held me steady. He lead me into the kitchen where, Jasper and Alice were. She was sitting on the counter, was standing between her legs, and the were kissing. Hard. I giggled and started singing,

"Jasper and Alice, sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" I started full on laughing then and the broke apart to stare at me, shocked.

"Bella, are you okay?" She asked looking between Edward and I.

"Watch her." Was all Edward said before turning to leave. Jasper placed a hand on his shoulder,

"What happened?" He asked calmly.

"James." Edward said through his teeth once again and Jasper let go. Alice hopped down from the counter, placing her hands on my shoulders.

"Bella, what's going on? What happened?" She asked confused, I laughed it was funny seeing Alice confused, since it rarely happened. I told her the whole story, like I had told Edward. When I was done she turned to face Jasper, who was staring at me with wide eyes.

"Go find Edward before he does something stupid." Jasper nodded and kissed Alice on the cheek before leaving.

"Bella, I said interesting _not_ intoxicated." She let out a giggle at my expression.

"So let me get this straight, first Eric and Mike get you drunk, then _Lauren_ tells you she's Edward _Girlfriend_, then you went upstairs to the bathroom to hide out where James forced you into a kiss?" She asked making sure she got everything.

"You look like a pixie." I giggled.

"Oh Bella." She laughed and we waited in the kitchen for the boys to come back.

"Oh my God!" I near shouted when I saw Edward walk in twenty minutes later, he had a cut on his eyebrow that was trickling blood down his eyebrow, there was another cut on his jaw, and his knuckles were bleeding. I ran up to him, placing my hands on the are around his cuts, surprisingly enough, the blood didn't seem to bother me as much as it normally would, so long as I didn't take a deep breath. He sighed in contentment.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing Bella, just don't worry about it." He said trying to calm me down.

"I'm going to wor-" He cut me off by pulling me into him arms and kissing me, right on the lips. His tongue, when it entered my mouth felt so good rubbling against my in a rhythm that made my stomach clench and it was better than anything I had ever felt, I let out a soft moan, and kissed him back as hard as I could, wrapping my fingers in his hair, and not even thinking about letting go. He pulled away only when he thought that I needed to breathe, which I did.

"I've been waiting so long to do that." He said breathily, and he smiled his crooked smile, and I don't think it would have been possible for me to come down from the cloud that I was on.

"Edward!" He and I looked up to Alice and Jasper laughing, Jasper was the one who had called his name,

"How dare you kiss another girl in front of your girlfriend?" He said pointing to beyond the glass door, we looked out to see Lauren glaring at the two of us. We couldn't help but laugh too, I waved out to her, she stomped off.

"Come on Bella, lets get you home, okay?" Edward asked. I nodded.

"We've got to get you patched up." I said brushing my hand against the cut on his jaw.

"Guys, I'm going to take Bella home." He said looking to Jasper and Alice.

"Alright, Jasper and I are going to go out for a late dinner, we'll see you at the house." Edward then took my hand and lea me out of the house and to his car, I was still smiling.

**So that's this chapter, sry it was messy at first but I had to be somewhere from 7 to 10 and I figured u guys would want earlier rather than later! so I posted it, non edited and all, so please forgive, I did fix it thought.**

**Oh and I wanted to let you know, I pretty much have the next chapter written so as soon as u guys hit 20 more reviews, It's going up that day!**

**Next update: October 17, 2008**


	8. Goodnight Kisses

**Hey I tried to upload earlier but something went wrong with my computadora so I had to use my ma's and its like ancient so forgive me, but hey, later is better that never. Oh and some of you may have noticed I upped the rating, fear not. It won't get too down and dirty, it was just a safety precaution, because I did want to throw in a lime here and there! thanks everyone,**

**xoxo, DEVINEROSE**

Edward led us outside to his car. His arm was wrapped tight around my waist, holding me to him, as if to show everyone I was his, I smiled. After stumbling every few steps, Edward lifted me into his arms bridal style and carried me to the car. He placed me gently into the passenger seat and shut the door, I watched him walk over to his side of the car and get in. He took my hand as he pulled out.

"Well that was interesting." Was all I could say, he laughed and squeezed my hand.

"Yes, and I'm so glad I made it that way. Bella you have no idea what it was like for me this week. To be so close to you and not be able to hold or kiss you, it was torture, and I'm sorry for the both of us that I waited this long to tell you." He said seriously as he lifted our entwined hands to his lips and placed a kiss on mine. I giggled.

"It's okay, I just thought that, you didn't like me, and you thought I wasn't good enough for you." I said with a smile I should have hidden, but the alcohol was really impairing my judgement. He didn't say anything, or look at me as he pulled over slowly. When the car came to a complete stop he turned it off and turned to face me. I could see the pain in his eyes.

"Bella how could you ever think that?"

"I don't know?" I mumbled, the humor of the situation gone.

"Bella look at me please." He pleaded, I hadn't even noticed my gaze had shifted to out of the windshield. I turned to him.

"Bella I said that I wanted to be friends and I acted that way because I didn't want you to think I was one of those guys who only think about getting girls into bed. I'm not like that, and I wanted to prove that to you by showing you I could be your friend first and foremost. But it seems as thought that plan may have backfired a little." He said smiling a little, he cupped my cheek in one of his hands,

"I always wanted you Bella, since the moment you fell into my arms, and I _always_ thought you were more than good enough for me. I honestly don't deserve you Bella, and I'm truly sorry that I made you think otherwise." He finished. I sat there, with his hand pressed to my cheek, thinking over what he had just said. I still had this nagging feeling that I wasn't really good enough for the likes of him, despite what he had just said. He must have seen that in my eyes because then, out of nowhere, he pulled me into yet another mind blowing kiss.

"Do you believe me now?" He asked when he pulled away.

"I'm not sure, I think I need a little more convincing." I said with a sly smile. He smiled back and pulled me into another kiss that made every never in my body tingle. His fingers were tracing the top of my boots. I tried to pull myself closer to him, but that was when the gear shift dug painfully into my side. I let out a small cry,

"Did I hurt you?" He asked worriedly. His was obviously as out of breath as I was and the sound of it made my stomach clench.

"No, the gear shift poked me." I said pointing to it.

"I'm sorry." He said running his hand through his hair. My hand itched to replace his.

"We should get going huh?" He asked. I nodded disappointedly as he pulled out, his hand still resting on my thigh. Halfway there his finger slipped under the top of my boot on my inner thigh and he began to move it back and forth slowly. The tantalizing motion caused my heart to stop, the beat double time, I was shocked at how amazing the simple motion felt. By the time we got home, I could barely move and my breathing was labored.

All the lights were off in the house as we pulled up and parked. He got out and I urged my body to move and get out, without much luck. I was on such a high I didn't think I was ever coming down. Edward opened my door and held out a hand for me, I took it and got out falling into him, he caught me. We stood staring at each other, and then for some reason my courage was boosted and I leaned up and kissed him forcefully.

He responded instantly, wrapping one arm tightly around my waist and his other hand going to the back of my neck, securing my face to his. I traced the outline of his lips with my tongue, and as he parted them for me, he let out a moan into my mouth that sent vibrations through my body. He tasted amazing, like sugar and something else I couldn't place, something that could only be described as Edward. He let go of my waist and shut my car door. This time instead of pressing against the car door, he hoisted me up into his arms, his lips never leaving mine, I smiled into the kiss. I wrapped my legs around his waist to keep from falling as he walked through the front door. He carried me upstairs, stopping just outside of Alice's bedroom door. He pressed me into the wall next to the door. Once I was secure in his grasp, his hand traveled up my leg, stopping at the back of my knee. My hips bucked into his at that, causing the most delicious friction, we both moaned. His lips left mine and he placed a line of feather light kisses from my chin straight down to the hollow at my throat. He stopped there and sucked at the skin a little, making me gasp,

"Mmmmm Edward." I groaned as he then proceeded to use his tongue to lightly trace his way back to my lips and then kiss his way up to my ear. I grinded into him again, and he moaned into my ear. His hand began to move up the back of my thigh, over my butt, which he gave a delectable squeeze, and up to my waist.

He opened Alice's door and carried me to the edge of the bed where he sat me down. He pulled away and kneeled in front of me. He took one of my legs in his hand and placed a kiss on the inside of my ankle, his eyes locked on mine he continued to kiss his way up the boot until he reached the zipper at the top. I had to put my arms out behind me and lean on them lest I fall back completely. Then he began to pull the zipper down, and he placed a kiss on the bare skin that was revealed. My eyes rolled into the back of my head when he sucked a little bit at the skin. He did that all the way down my leg until the boot was completely off. He did the same on the other leg, and I thought that I just might combust. Once he got the other one off he stood back up and walked to the head of the bed, pulling back the covers. With any other guy I would have been putting the ix nay on that plan, but with Edward it was so different, and I had no intentions of stopping him. He walked back over to me, picked me up, and placed me into the bed. Then he did something I didn't think was humanly possible for the male population, he pulled the covers up to my chin and tucked me in, kissing my forehead. He laughed at the shock on my face,

"Not tonight Bella." He smiled, but his voice sounded husky like earlier, making it hard for me to let him stop us.

"Why not?" I pouted.

"Because we have all the time in the world, and I don't want to rush anything, but to be honest, you have no idea how hard it is to stop right now." He said with a suggestive smile.

"Now, goodnight Bella." He kissed me once more before standing up to leave.

"Goodnight Edward." I said as he walked out. I listened to him climb the stairs up to his room and shut the door. My heart was still pounding as I lay in bed, listening to the sounds of the house. I couldn't believe this was real, it was hard to when he wasn't right next to me. I tossed and turned trying to get comfortable, but no position worked, and the motion was making me queazy, plus the creaks coming from the old house made it impossible to fall asleep. After half an hour I finally gave up and walked up to Edward's room. The door was closed so I knocked,

"Yes?" He called from inside. I opened the door and slipped in, shutting it behind me. I saw the smile on his face when I turned around to face him. My breath caught in my throat, he was sitting up in the bed shirtless, and I could make out every single one of his muscles in the moonlight streaming through the window. I wanted to walk over and run my fingers over them, but I realized I should respect what he wanted for us, so I just stood there staring at his perfect upper half, thankfully I could see the rim of sweatpants at his waist.

"Bella?" He asked with a slight smile, catching me staring. Thankfully he couldn't see my blush in the moonlight.

"Your house makes funny noises, can I stay up here with you?" He chuckled and pulled back the covers for me. I walked over and climbed in, I didn't want to invade his space so I laid down on the side of the bed. He immediately wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into him in the middle of the large bed.

"Goodnight." He whispered into my ear as I finally fell asleep.

**Idk if there was a zipper on the boot but for my story there was a zipper! And guys come on, for the last chapter I only got six new reviews, and that hurt! people review, pretty please with an Edward on top?**

**Review expectations:**

**10 reviews(60 total): Special treat**

**20 reviews (70 total): Sooner update.**

**REVIEW people!**

**Next Update: October 25, 2008**


	9. Special Place

**Hey everyone, I fixed it! I hope this one is more accurate, and to be completely honest I really like this one better!**

**XOXO, DevineRose**

When I woke up the next morning my head was throbbing and my stomach was beyond nauseous.

"Good Morning." Edward said. He was propped up on his elbow looking down at me, I opened my mouth to say it back but the only thing that was going to come out was everything I had eaten the previous day, along with a few other things. I sprung out of the bed which only added to my nausea, and made it to the bathroom just in time for everything to land in the toilet. The room was spinning, but I was thankful the lights were out, as I leaned back against the wall, and I heard Edward chuckle as he walked in and shut the door, getting rid of all the bright lights, except for a dim night light. He came over to brush my hair away from my sweaty face,

"Oh Bella." He said, "What am I going to do with you?" He asked with a smile. I pitched forward and threw up in the toilet again. He leaned back but didn't leave, which surprised me. Most people I knew would be gone by now.

"Not let me drink again." I said leaning my head against the cool tile on the wall. He smiled again before kissing my forehead.

"Okay, that sounds like a good plan. Although I have to hand it to you Bella, you were a very classy drunk last night."

"Thanks." I mumbled.

"Anytime. Now can you move, or do you want to stay here for a while longer?" He asked his eyes filled with concern.

"Can we stay here, for just a little while longer?" I asked sheepishly, and I could feel my cheeks, which were already red from the throwing up, become even redder. He nodded and pulled me into his lap. I threw up once more, but when I was done, it felt like I could move.

"Ready?" He asked looking down at me. I nodded and he helped me up slowly, my stomach complained but I was able to squelch the regurgitation. Before we left I turned up to Edward.

"Could I just brush my teeth first?" I asked, he laughed and then nodded, handing me his tooth brush. I refused it,

"No Edward. I just threw up multiple times, I refuse to soil your toothbrush with my post puking mouth. Mines in my bag downstair in Alice's room." I said, he hesitated, but then left to get it, after making sure I was stable enough to stand. He came back quickly, handing me my toothbrush.

"Thanks." He nodded and grabbed the toothpaste for me. I squeezed some onto the brush and cleaned my teeth. When I was done, I just set the toothbrush on the counter and tried to make my way out of the bathroom. I stumbled a couple of times, then just before the door, I slipped on the tile and Edward caught me, causing my stomach to roll, but nothing came up.

"Okay, that's it." He said as he picked me up gently. I didn't protest, just snuggled closer into his neck as he opened the door. The room was extremely bright due to the rising sun streaming in through the glass wall opposite the bathroom door.

"It's too bright, can't we just stay in the bathroom?" I asked, I felt him chuckle as he set me on the bed.

"No Bella, but I have an idea, just close your eyes.'' I did as he instructed as he got up from the bed. I heard a door open and close and then I felt a slight breeze before the orange light coming in through my closed eyes turned black.

"Open your eyes." He said as I felt him lay down next to me, I did. Draped over the four posters of his bed was a very large dark blue sheet, that only let in enough light to see by.

"Thank you, this is perfect. But what if I get sick again?" I asked not wanting to throw up in his bed.

"Hold on I'll be right back." He left our makeshift tent and came back ten minutes later with a very frilly basket filled with movies, a laptop, a trash bin, and a large coffee travel mug.

"Yours?" I asked with pointing to the basket with a weak smile.

"And what if it was?" He asked playing along.

"Well then, I'd have a good laugh at your expense." I said, he laughed,

"Its Esme's, I borrowed it so I could grab movies from Emmett's room without having to actually carry them." He explained.

"Movies?"

"Yeah, Alice called, and she and Jasper are still out, so are Rose and Emmett, and Carlisle and Esme are still away for the weekend, so it's just us and I figured so might not want to get out of bed if you didn't have to, hence the pile of movies." He said smiling, and I couldn't help it, I reached up and kissed his cheek for his thoughtfulness.

"Thank you, Edward." I said sincerely, his grin only got bigger.

"I also brought my laptop so we could watch them, a trash bin, just in case, and of course, the handy dandy hangover cure." He said handing me the coffee mug.

"What is it?" I asked apprehensivly. from the movies I had seen, hangover cures were pretty gross.

"We've only used it a couple of times, but it seems to work. It's just black coffee with half a cup of lemon juice and half a cup of lime juice, and nothing else." I nodded and slowly sat up to taste it. It was absolutely disgusting, I fought to swallow it.

"Uggh." I said with revulsion.

"You have to drink it, and maybe next time you won't listen to Mike and Eric." He said with a patronizing smile.

"Why didn't you stop me?" I groaned, lying back down to keep my head from spinning.

"At the time I had been talking to Alice about how to tell you how I really felt about you, and as you know, by the time I found you it was too late." He informed me.

"_That_ was what you wanted to tell me when I ran into you? Now I kinda wish I hadn't stopped you, it would have made the rest of the night a lot easier." I said thinking back on the nights events.

"Of course I was going to tell you that. What else would I have told you?" He asked surprised.

"Well, I thought," I looked down blushing and began playing with the hem of the covers, not wanting to admit to him what I had thought last night.

"Yes?"

"I thought that you were going to tell me Lauren was your girlfriend and that we couldn't be together." I mumbled.

"I still can't believe she had the nerve to say that." He said staring out at the blue blanket, but not really looking at it.

"I can't believe I listened to her. But what I want to now is, why? Who would do that?"

"Ex-girlfriends." He said quietly but firmly. My mouth dropped open. He smiled sheepishly.

"Huh?'' Was all I could get out.

"Freshman year. She was new at school and I hadn't really known her, we didn't have any classes together. But one day at lunch, she came up to our table and she asked me if I wanted to go to the movies with her. I didn't want to hurt her feelings in front of everyone, and she seemed nice enough. Little did I know. Well, that night when we went out all she could talk about was herself, and every other word that came out of her mouth was 'like'. It drove me crazy, so at the end of the night, I politely told her, I couldn't see her any more, and ever since then she has been rather bitter towards me." He finished.

"Wow, nice job Edward." I teased and he lowered his head embarrassed, and I thought I could see the hint of a blush.

"Oh, is our Edward blushing?" I laughed. He looked up rolling his eyes,

"Just finish your drink." He said with a smile, I did slowly, and managed to get in a few swallows.

"Yeah, I can't imagine that tasting so great. I tried it once, and lets just say, it sucks to be you right now." I attempted to smack his shoulder playfully, but found that it took to much work. He laughed then stretched, and he must have hit the bed post because he recoiled quickly, hissing,

"Ow!" He cradled his hand to his chest,

"What? Let me see." He reluctantly held his hand out for me. I gasped, his knuckles were covered in bruises and right across them was a gagged gash that had begun to heal.

"Edward what happened?"


	10. Good Luck

**Hi everyone,  
here is the rest of it, luvs you all!  
xoxo, DeViNeRoSe **

**EPOV**

_How dare he? How dare he put his hands on my Bella, or his lips for that matter? I was going to strangle him. After leaving Bella with Alice and Jasper I roamed the house looking for James. I found him on the front lawn talking to some red head I didn't recognize. Without thinking I marched right up to him, spun him around so he was facing me, and slammed my fist right into his face. He reeled back but I didn't stop, I punched him again in the mouth, I felt his teeth slash against my knuckles, tearing them open, but I could barely feel it. He came back with a punch to my jaw, his ring slashing my chin. I stood my ground and I went for his stomach, but he jumped back, causing me to stumble forward, where his fist met my eye. I went for his stomach again and this time I didn't miss, I hit him twice, and he stayed hunched over. I leaned down,_

_"Stay away from her." I said through clenched teeth in his ear, before turning to go._

_"She's feisty when she kisses. Did you know that? And well, you know I just can't stay away from a girl like that Eddie Boy, better watch out for her." He said haggardly as he stood up._

_I turned back around to face him, he was wearing his cocky evil grin that I was dying to wipe of his face, so I did. I went to punch him again in the face, but as he was anticipating that he pulled back quickly, but not quickly enough, my fist still made contact with his nose. Which caused a stream of dark red blood to flow freely, as he fell backwards onto the ground,_

_"No James, you better watch out for me, because if you even go near her, this will be nothing compared to what I will do to you, got it?" He just smirked again, and I went to punch him but someone grabbed my wrist and held me back. I looked up to see Jasper,_

_"He's not worth it." Jasper said calmly, which in turn calmed me. I let my arm go limp, and he let go. Before leaving, I turned to James,_

_"I wasn't kidding James, stay the hell away from her, or else." I said then left with Jasper, and as I went I heard him say,_

_"Good luck." Through his teeth, but I continued on walking. When we entered the kitchen I heard Bella shout,_

_"Oh my God!" As she came running over to me. I remembered my appearance, the blood trickling down from my eyebrow and jaw, plus my bruised and bleeding knuckles. Her hands went to examine my wounds, despite the fact that the sight of blood seemed to make her a little queasy. Her fingers were cold against my warm skin and that felt so good. Her eyes were filled with so much concern, that it made my heart skip a beat,_

_"What did you do?" She asked worriedly._

_"Nothing Bella, just don't worry about it." I said trying to calm her down, it didn't work, and she just looked so cute worried._

_"I'm going to wor-" I couldn't help myself, I pulled her into my arms and kissed her. It was a billion times better than I had imagined. The taste of her was unbelievable, it made my body ache for her. She wrapped her fingers in my hair, and I pulled her closer to me, only letting go when she needed to breathe. But I kept my forehead pressed to hers,_

_"I've been waiting so long to do that." My voice came out heavy, and I couldn't fight a smile, she made me feel amazing, and all I had done was kiss her._

_"Edward!" Both Bella and I looked up at Jasper who had called me, he was cracking up, as was Alice._

_"How dare you kiss another girl in front of your girlfriend?" He said pointing outside of the glass doors, where Lauren was standing, smoke near coming out of her ears. Serves her right, doing what she did to Bella. I began laughing as Bella waved at Lauren and she stomped away._

_"Come on Bella, lets get you home, Okay?"_

"Then after I put you in bed I came up here, cleaned myself up, got in bed, and well you know the rest." I said with a smile looking down at her, she looked back up at me her face was hard and a little angry. I put my hand on her cheek, she pushed it away.

"Bella what's-"

**So that's it for now please remember to REVIEW!!!**

**Special treat: 70 reviews(total)  
Faster update: 80 reviews (Total)**

**Next update: November 1, 2008 **


	11. Fears

**Hey everyone,**

**I would advise thanking a one, ****lakepup**** for this update! Thanks so much for that review, and I think you said amazing enough, so here goes everyone!**

**XOXO, d3vin3ros3**

**THIS IS THE REVISED AND EDITED VERSION!!! REREAD THIS AND CH. 9**

I rolled onto my side facing away from him. Last night I had known that something had gone down, that much was obvious when Edward walked back into the kitchen bleeding, but I don't think my inebriated mind had processed what that had entailed. He fought James. _James_, as in 6 foot something, muscular, 'couldn't get out of his grip' James. I knew Edward was strong, there was no doubting that, but he could have gotten seriously hurt, he _did_ get hurt. He knuckles were practically ripped open on his hand, he had a gash on his chin, to match that, a cut over his eye, _in addition_ to the bruise he had just under his eye. How could he think that it was okay for him to get himself hurt because of me?

"Bella?" I didn't answer.

"Bella, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly, he was oblivious to the fact that his story upset me.

"What's wrong? _What's wrong_?!" I rolled back over slowly to face him, I was fuming. He was shocked at my outburst, and come to think about it, my stomach and my head, weren't to keen on my reaction either.

"How about the fact that you started a fist fight with a guy that was bigger than you, huh? How's that for being something wrong, or better yet, _stupid_?" I folded my arms across my chest and waited for an answer. His face had flickered from astonishment, to ashamed, and finally rested on amusement.

"Bella, James may be bigger than me, but bigger and stronger are not always synonymous, especially in his case. You're over reacting, I'm fine as you can see and-" I cut him off from his reassurance,

"Fine?! _This,_" I pointed his wounds, "Is _fine_?" I let out a humorless laugh,

"Wow Edward. So this is fine?" I held up his hand for him to see, he kept his eyes on me.

"Is this fine, too?" I pointed to his chin.

"And this as well?" I asked placing my hand on his cheek and gently rubbing my thumb over his bruise. He didn't answer.

"Well, Edward?" My anger lessened and I felt something else. Then instead of answering he just pulled me into his arms and held on tightly.

"I'm sorry I scared you Bella, I never meant to." He whispered into my ear, and we sat like that for a while.

"Thank you." I whispered into his chest. He leaned back so he could look at me, still keeping his arms firmly around my waist.

"Bella, I honestly never meant to upset you." He said sincerely.

"I know Edward, but..." I trailed off.

"But what?" He pressed.

"Could you please not do something like that again?"

"Bella I can't promise that." He said honestly. I tried to push away, despite how the movement effected my ody, but he wouldn't let me, he just held me tighter.

"However I promise to try, but if James puts his hands or his lips anywhere near you. I cannot be held responsible for my actions." He said firmly. I thought about it before saying,

"Alright." I said as I placed a kiss on the hollow at the base of his neck. He shuddered at my touch and I couldn't hide my smile.

"You did that on purpose." He said with a smile. I nodded, which reminded me of my mind numbing headache.

"Ooof. Remind me not to do that again." I said wincing. He smiled and placed a kiss on my head, which burned at my skin and I craved more. However after what happened this morning, even if I brushed my teeth, I felt it would have been unfair to subject him to that. We laid like that for a while longer.

"So what movies did you grab?" I finally asked. He laughed and let me go so he could dump the pile of movies between us.

"Ok, so you pick." He said gesturing to the pile.

"No you." I said. I didn't care, plus I didn't want to pick something he didn't want to watch, because I would watch anything, but I wasn't sure what his preferences were.

"I have a feeling we will be doing this for a while. So, I have an idea. Close your eyes, and just pick one." I followed his instructions and I pulled out a movie, handing it to him before I opened my eyes. He laughed.

"Die Hard 3, nice pick." He said opening the case still looking at me.

"Well, it was better then the first three." I shrugged. He laughed and went to pull the movie out of the case. He froze for a second, then burst out laughing again.

"What? What is it?" I asked looking as he turned the case to me.

"Well, at least it isn't porn or something." I said nonchalantly, before joining in the laughter.

"Touche. I actually don't mind this movie, it's pretty good." He said examining the disk and grabbing his laptop from outside our little land.

"Well I like it."

"Then Pride and Prejudice it is." He said and he loaded the disk. About halfway through I think I fell asleep, because the next thing I knew I was being pummeled by a tiny being.

"Uuggghhh."

"Alice, get off of her." Edward said protectively, pulling me closer to him.

"Oh, still got the hangover?" She asked sympathetically.

"Yeah." I mumbled.

"Alright, hold on." She left our tent, I heard her bound down the stairs, then she came back five minutes later changed into pjs.

"Scoot over. Everyone's left, so I have come to grace you with my presence." She said with her musical laugh as she climbed under the covers with us. We finished Pride and Prejudice and Alice and Edward got me to eat some toast before we looked for another movie. Alice was quite surprised when we showed her what we found in the Die Hard case. She and Edward then proceeded to open all the other cases of movies looking for more out of place movies. They only found a couple more. Titanic, The Notebook, When Harry Met Sally, and Dirty Dancing.

"Well at least he has taste when it comes to Chick Flicks." Alice said shrugging when they finished. Alice and I decided on Titanic and Edward agreed. I stayed up for the whole thing, and by the time we were done it was around five. Alice called Charlie for me and asked if I could stay over another night, he of course agreed. Alice and I let Edward choose the next movie.

"Blade anyone?" He asked holding up the movie case, Alice and I agreed and we watched the movie. I fell asleep once again, only this time when I woke up it was morning and I was feeling a whole heck of a lot better.

"Hey, how you feeling?" Edward asked when he realized I was awake.

"Much better, my head still hurts a little, but I think I'm fine." I said with a smile as someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." Edward called, and Alice walked in.

"You have to get up and see what Emmett and Rosalie found at the 24 hour Dollar Store the other night!" As soon as she finished she was out of the door again. Edward laughed and we got up. I went down to Alice's room, showered and got dressed for the day. Edward was waiting outside of her room when I was done.

"Ready?" He asked holding out a hand for me.

"Always." We walked downstairs and into the kitchen, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice were all there and in the middle of the kitchen stacked mile high on the island was something I hadn't seen since I was a kid. My mouth dropped open.

"Oh my God."

**Hoped you all liked this one, I did! Review!  
**


	12. All Our Eggs In One Basket

**Hi, everyone. IMPORTANT!!!!: Like I said yesterday, i'm changing it so Bella ISN'T hungover for this. So this is on Monday (Timeline: Mike's party: Sat, Hangover: Sun....) I will go back and fix that this weekend, so enjoy this chapter, i've held it back long enough!**

**xOxO, devinerose**

"How did you guys find all of this?" I asked Emmett, seeing as it was June after all.

"Rose and I were driving around last night when we passed this dollar store, and it happened to be 24 hour so she and I decided to go in and check it out." Emmett seemed really excited for our days activities,

"And there they were, sitting right in front, in the half off bin."

"Of course knowing Emmett, he had to get all of them. So Alice just counted and there are six boxes for every person." She paused thinking about that,

"Emmett, next time count before you pay please, I beg of you."

"You know good and well Rosie that _you_ don't beg." He said honestly.

"Well..." She trailed off and sent Emmett a 'come hither' glance, and he smiled, winking. It was then that Emmett got poked in the side by Alice.

"Oww, what was that for?"

"Could you hold off on the 'do me on this table' looks. Bella's stomach is nauseous enough already." She said and I felt myself blush.

"So anyway, we also got the cups and two gallons of the vinegar." Rosalie said, changing the subject and pointing out the two massive jugs on the counter.

"Ewww." Alice said.

"You like?" Emmett asked, jerking his thumb at the island, where at there were 36 boxes of PAAS egg dying kits.

"Can we start?" Emmett asked looking to all of us. We all nodded and were about to begin.

"Emmett!" Rosalie groaned looking at Emmett. We all stopped to look at her, puzzled.

"Take a look at the table guys. Anything missing?" She said, trying to fight a smile, while we all examined the table, trying to find something missing. After a couple of seconds, Jasper began laughing followed by Alice and Edward. I checked the table again, vinegar, cups, dye, I thought we had everything.

"Eggs." Edward whispered in my ear. I then joined in on the laughing, while Emmett was the only one left who was missing out on the joke.

"Eggs Emmett." Jasper finally said. Emmett began laughing, shaking his head,

"Wow, okay. Well, Rosie and I can go out and grab the eggs." He said taking Rosalie's hand and heading for the door.

"Anything else?" He asked, we shook our heads and he left laughing.

"We should probably start boiling the water for the eggs." Edward suggested.

"This house is going to smell so bad." Alice said shaking her head before going off to find pots big enough to fit all the eggs Emmett would be getting.

Rosalie and Emmett returned an hour later with 6 dozen eggs in tow. Alice and I had managed to scrounge up a couple of lobster pots, which we filled with water and set on the stove to boil. By the time they got back, the water had just begun to boil.

"Perfect." Emmett said as we slipped all of the eggs into the three pots.

"Okay, so they have to boil and cool before we can start." Emmett said reading the back of the box.

"Where are we going to do this?" I asked looking at the pristine kitchen.

"In here." Emmett answered.

"Shouldn't we put something down?" I asked, not wanting to make a mess.

"Bella does have a point. I don't think Esme would like a rainbow kitchen." Edward said backing me up.

"Ooooh, I have an idea." Alice said before bolting from the kitchen. She came back with a stack of newspapers in her arms, stacked so high, we could only see the top of her spiky head.

"No offense Alice, but I'd rather dye eggs." Emmett said.

"We're not reading them Em." Rosalie said rolling her eyes.

"Not my fault the annoying little pixie person doesn't explain herself." He said, Alice huffed at him from behind the pile she had yet to set down.

"Emmett can't you come up with something a little more original than that?" She sighed as Jasper went to help her.

"First, that is original, and second, why mess with the classics?"

"Whatever, just help me spread this stuff you big oaf." She instructed.

"Big oaf! Oh Alice, how you spurn me with your words." He said sarcastically before mussing her hair with his hand, she rolled her eyes and smiled at him, as Jasper set down the newspaper.

We agreed to cover the island and the floor around it, just in case. Alice and Jasper were in charge of covering the island, Rosalie and Emmett were taking the floor on one side of the island and Edward and I were taking the other side. He and I came up with a system, Edward handed me newspaper and I laid it on the floor. We were nearly done and I reached behind me for another piece of newspaper, but my hand only found his. I looked up and he was kneeling down, inches from my face. Edward quickly closed the gap by placing his delectable lips on mine. My heart skipped two beats as he deepened the kiss by gently tracing my lips with his tongue, pleading for entrance, which I granted. His arms ensnared my waist and pulled me into him as I wrapped my fingers in his disheveled bronze hair. We didn't stop until we both needed to breath.

"I'm so glad I can do that whenever I want now." He said breathily.

"Would you mind not doing that while we're here, you're grossing us out." Emmett said playfully, startling us. He and Rosalie were looking at us on the floor at one end of the island, and Jasper and Alice were leaning over the top, peering down at us. They started laughing and I felt a blush creep over my cheeks. Edward then stood up with me in his arms and began to walk to the doorway, but Emmett stopped us,

"Uh-un." Emmett said standing up, "I got this for all of us, so we're _all_ going to _do it, together!"_ Emmett said pointing a finger at us.

"That's what she said." Jasper fake coughed loudly. We all burst out laughing.

"So that means no running off to grope." Emmett said to Edward and I, which caused me to blush harder.

"That applies to you and Rose too." Edward said, turning the tables on Emmett, who nodded in agreement.

"Alright let's get started."

"Oh crap, the eggs!" Alice shouted racing to the stove.

**Sry guys for the confusion. Hoped you liked Emmett's surprise!**

**Special treat: 132 reviews(total)**

**Sooner update: 142 reviews (total)**

Please review y'alls!!!!


	13. Lessons in Life

**Dear readers,**

**Sorry for the horrendous last chapter. I have kinda come down with influenza, so yeah, but that's unimportant and no excuse! Thank you all for the reviews, I really appreciate them all! Oh, by the way, typo in the last chapter, not 6 dozen, it was supposed to be 36 dozen, and it will be clear as to why at the end of this chapter as to why they need so many! So on we go with the next chapter!**

Thankfully the eggs were fine and all we had to do was cool them, which took another twenty minutes, so we set up our cups of different color egg dye.

"What are you guys going to do?" Emmett asked as we passed the jugs of vinegar around to mix with the small color tablets.

"We have to have a plan?" I asked.

"Yeah, Emmett, it's dying eggs, not painting priceless art." Jasper said.

"You _would_ think that Jasper. I however choose to think that every egg is special and deserves to look so." Emmett said as he went to the fridge to grab the eggs. As he passed them out to us, Edward took my hand in his under the table.

"You know this is going to make it very hard to dye eggs." I whispered squeezing his hand as Emmett and Jasper continued their debate on egg dying.

"So?" Edward whispered in my ear making me shiver.

"Well Emmett had a point, eggs are art, and to make art, I need both of my hands" I said playfully, honestly not caring what my eggs ended up looking like.

"Fine, what if I do this instead?" He said deeply in my ear as he rested his hand on my bare thigh and used his thumb to rub circles on my outer thigh, the ones that he knew were my undoing. My breath caught and I could barely move it felt so good.

"If you keep doing that I might as well just dye my eggs using my teeth."

"I'm that good?" He asked disbelievingly.

"Oh don't play dumb, you know exactly what you do to me." He smiled widely.

"This is going straight to your ego isn't it?" I sighed.

"Yep." We both laughed and looked up to find everyone watching us.

"Well I see Edward has gotten over his, 'Just friends because it's more respectful' policy." Emmett said as he finished handing out everyone's first dozen eggs then sat down to get started.

"Yeah, what happened at Mike's party?" Rosalie asked, reaching for her first egg. I froze, I had had no intentions of informing Emmett and especially Rosalie on what happened at Mike's party.

"Well, it's pretty obvious that Edward got into a fight." Emmett said pointing to the wounds on Edward face. Edward froze in his seat, not commenting as Alice and Jasper both found something on their eggs that was particularly interesting as they held in their laughter. Edward said nothing, he didn't want to tell something about me without my permission,

"Yes he got into a fight." I said and then went on to explain the rest of the night. When I got to the part about James I couldn't bear to look at them, so I opted for starting my first egg and staring intently at it as Alice and Jasper had done. When I finished the story and the egg I looked up to find Rosalie staring at me her mouth slightly ajar and Emmett laughing so hard, he was beginning to tear up. Not exactly the reaction I had been expecting.

"What?" I asked self consciously.

"You. Said yes. To. Tyler?" His sentence came out broken due to his inability to stop laughing. I blushed,

"I didn't want to be rude." I said embarrassed, but Emmett continued to laugh at me.

"Oh Boy are you going to regret that!" Emmett said, beginning to calm down.

"Don't worry Edward made it quite clear that Bella was taken." Jasper told Emmett.

"Honestly Edward, we tell you all week to kiss her and you wait for the one moment when she is completely plastered to actually do it? Good job Edward." Emmett said sarcastically with a smile as he set one of his eggs on the drying rack.

"True Emmett, but you should have seen Lauren's face." Jasper said smiling at the memory of it all, even I had to smile at that.

"I still can't believe she lied like that." Rosalie said painting a smiley face on her egg.

"I know." Alice replied.

"Screw Lauren, she's always been like that. What the hell is wrong with James?" Emmett asked still appalled, and I felt Edward tense next to me.

'He's sick, twisted, and can't take no for an answer?" Alice supplied cheerily making us all laugh.

"Yep, sounds about right." I said faking a shudder.

"Well he won't be doing that again." Edward said confidently.

"Yes, of course he won't, I can tell from those cuts on _your_ face and that minor black eye, that you really showed him." Emmett said sarcastically as he began to laugh.

"Hey I won in the end!" Edward said defensively.

"Yeah, well it better to win without getting hurt. Have Jasper and I taught you nothing?" Emmett said putting his hand over his heart and faking sadness.

"You Emmett, have taught me one thing." Edward said smugly, and I had I feeling I knew where this was going.

"And what's that?" Emmett asked dipping an egg into blue dye.

"How to hide a good chick flick." Edward said calmly. I watched Emmett freeze as all eyes turned on him, except for Rosalie whose head was ducked and I could just make out a smile on her face, she obviously knew. However the expressions on Alice and Jasper's faces made it clear that they didn't.

"Excuse me?" Was all Emmett could get out.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm a fan of Pride and Prejudice too, I particularly love Darcy's sexy accent." Edward continued joking.

"Take it back." Emmett said standing up. All of us were frozen, just waiting to see how this scenario would play out.

"No, I thought it was rather funny." Edward said standing up as well. They had met in the middle of the kitchen, staring each other down, when we all heard the front door open.

"Hello." Esme called as she walked into the kitchen with Carlisle, "We're home." Emmett and Edward were still standing in their face off position, as the rest of us said our hellos.

"Boys." Esme said sternly and Edward and Emmett broke out of their trance to mumble a hello to their parents.

"What's going on you two?" Carlisle asked, not phased at all by their childish behavior.

"Edward found Emmett's stash of chick flicks." Jasper said as he covered his laugh with a cough and ignored the glare he received from Emmett. Esme covered her mouth discreetly to hide her smile.

"Okay, so I like chick flicks, so what?" Emmett said, giving up.

"Oh Emmett, no one cares." Esme said with a wave of her hand. "Watch what you want, and don't let anyone tease you for it. Edward, leave your brother alone, because your father and I know about your collection of-"

"Mom!" Edward said cutting her off, as she smiled at him.

"Beanie Babies." Esme said quickly, as she nodded at Emmett, and the entire kitchen froze staring at Edward, who was blushing, before we all broke out into laughter.

"They're cute." He mumbled at me. "And I was seven."

"Yes, when we bought you your _first_ one, I don't believe you stopped collecting until the ninth grade." Carlisle added. Causing the everyone to laugh even harder and Edward to cover his face with his hand. Once the laughter died down, Esme noticed the state of the kitchen.

"Now who would like to explain the mess in this kitchen and why it smells like rotten eggs?" We all looked at each other, when Emmett spoke up,

"Rosalie and I found some egg dying kits at the Dollar Store, so we bought all of them and planned an in house activity, because we thought it'd be fun." Emmett said looking down at the floor.

"Yes, Emmett that's fine, but what am I going to do with all of these eggs?" Esme asked, slightly irritated, but also rather amused.

"Well, um, I was, uh, going to eat them?" His voice made it clear that he had no intention of eating 36 dozen eggs himself. We were all fighting back our laughter, even Carlisle and Esme.

"I have a better idea, Esme, how long do you think the eggs will last?" Carlisle asked Esme.

"I'm don't know, four maybe five days." She answered.

"Alright, well then, kids why don't you finish decorating them and I call the hospital and see if we can organize a mini egg hunt in the children's ward before the eggs go bad? How does that sound?" He suggested, Emmett breathed a sigh of relief at not having to eat all of the eggs. Rosalie looked especially excited, and we all agreed. I thought it would be extremely fun, so we all went back to our project as Esme joined in, and Carlisle went to call the hospital.

**Hey y'alls, hoped you like this one, and thanks again for going above and beyond the call of duty with the reviews, I really appreciate it more that you guys know. So just a heads up, I'm not going to do another early update, just cuz I really don't feel very well, and I have make up work for all my classes, but I will be updating on the update date. However I will do a special treat if you guys give me at least ten more reviews! Thank you all for being such good readers and reviewers! **

**Next update: November 9, 2008**

**Special treat: 163 reviews(total)**


	14. Parental Inquiries

**Hey Everyone! So this is the next installment, not much to say!**

**Xoxo, DEVINEROSE**

"Okay." Carlisle said as he came back into the kitchen. We were currently moving our freshly painted eggs to the monster garage fridge because we had run out of space in the fridge in the kitchen.

"We are all set for Wednesday. Let's meet here at 9 so we have time to get there and hid the eggs. What's going to happen is each of us is going to get a group of kids and we will follow them to make sure nothing goes wrong, and then once all the eggs are found, were going to stay with the kids for a little bit, then we'll leave." Carlisle said, joining in on the egg storing. We had just load the last few cartons when my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Bells, hi, are you having fun?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah. I'm having a great time!" I told him honestly.

"Good, good, I'm glad you're enjoying your time. I was just calling to see what time you were coming home." He said. I hadn't even been thinking about the time, we were just having so much fun with the eggs.

"Uh hold on." I covered the mouth piece to my phone with my hand and asked Edward what time it was.

"6:30." He said checking his watch, I thought about it before answering Charlie,

"7:15, is that okay?" I asked.

"Yeah that's fine, you can stay later if you want, I was just unsure about dinner, should I order a pizza?" He asked thoughtfully.

"No, I'll be home in time to make dinner, I was thinking pasta with red sauce, is that okay?" I asked.

"Sounds great Bells. See you then." He said.

"Bye Dad."

"Bye Bells." He said hanging up.

"Have to get home?" Edward asked as if it just dawned on him that I didn't live here.

"Yeah, I'd better go and grab my stuff." I quickly ran upstairs and grabbed my duffel bag and my box that had my boots in them. Then brought them down and placed them by the door before reentering the kitchen to say goodbye.

"Thank you so much for having me." I said to Esme and Carlisle.

"Nonsense honey, we're so glad you could stay." She said giving me a hug.

"Adios little one." Emmett said holding up his had for a high five that I smacked with my own palm. Alice gave me a tight hug, before saying bye.

"We'd better get going too, Esme." Jasper said, and he and Rosalie dolled out their hugs, as I kissed Edward goodbye. It wasn't as intense as our others since everyone was watching, and I could tell he was just as disappointed about that as I was.

"Let me get my keys." Edward said, going to find them before Rosalie stopped him.

"Um Edward, Bella is our neighbor, it wouldn't be that hard to drop her off ourselves." Edward looked to me for my response. I didn't want him to have to drive me when I could easily get a ride and save him the trouble.

"Thank you, Rosalie." I said, and Edward nodded reluctantly, resembling that of a small child that had just been told they couldn't have a cookie before dinner.

"Oh Edward calm down. It's not like you're never going to see her again." Emmett said with an eye roll as he hugged Rosalie.

"Yeah we can all hang out tomorrow." Alice reminded him. Edward nodded again before returning to me for a hug and another short kiss goodbye.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I said as he kissed my forehead before whispering.

"I was hoping to give you a decent kiss goodbye in the car." He sighed letting me go

"Well you can do it tomorrow." I promised, and he smiled.

"Can I call you tonight?" He asked. I laughed at his question.

"Of course you can!" I said as we carried my stuff out to Rosalie's car. He popped the trunk and we put everything in there. I shut it, and waited for Rosalie and Jasper to join us. When they didn't do so immediately, Edward pulled me into his arms and pressed his lips gently to mine. I was just about to open my mouth for him when Jasper yelled at us from the porch,

"Okay you two, it's time to go!" We both groaned as we were forced to separate. Edward opened the backseat down for me and I slid in. He winked at me before closing the door and walking back up to the porch as Rosalie and Jasper got in. Rosalie pulled out of the driveway and Edward stood on the porch until we turned onto the main street and out of sight. It felt weird being away from Edward, but I tried to ignore the feeling as I stared out the window at the passing scenery.

About two minutes into the car ride Jasper's phone rang, he answered it laughing,

"Didn't I just see you, Lovely?" He paused listening to her response, before laughing again.

"Yes, well I suppose that's true." He said, then listened again.

"Hold on, I'll ask." He turned to us, " Alice say the carnival is in town until Thursday, and wants to know if you guys want to go tomorrow."

"I'm in." I said, and Rosalie nodded.

"What time?" She asked. Jasper relayed her question to Alice.

"She says five-ish." He told us.

"Alright Alice see you tomorrow." He said then paused and listened to her for a minute before smiling again.

"That sound like fun. I'll pick you up in an hour." He said before hanging up.

"What was all that about?" Rosalie asked with a knowing smile.

"Alice and I are going out tonight." He said to her.

"So where is this carnival?" Rosalie asked.

"This place just outside of town, maybe fifteen minute drive." He said.

"Any idea if it's good or not?" I asked.

"Yeah it's supposed to be really good according to Alice." He told us.

"That'll be fun." I said as we pulled into their driveway.

"Thank you for the ride." I said to Rosalie.

"Oh it was completely worth it just to see Edward's face when he found out he couldn't drive you. Oh boy is he head over heel in love for you." Rosalie said getting out of the car. I got out too and went to the trunk to grab my stuff.

"You think?" I asked.

"Bella if there is one thing Jasper and I know best, it's the Cullens, more specifically, the Cullen boys. Edward may not be aware that he loves you, but we know he does." She said before shutting her car door and walking up to her house. Jasper and I watched her the whole time, both our mouths slightly opened. That had been the nicest thing anyone had said to me since I had been here, and I had certainly not expected it to come from Rosalie.

"That was unexpected." I said to Jasper.

"Yeah, just a touch." He said before turning to me.

"But unexpected or not, Bella she has a point." I nodded and we both turned to go.

"See you tomorrow, Bella." Jasper called when I reached my door.

"You too!" I called back. I thought back on the past two nights and about Edward. My heart soared at the idea that he was all mine, and even Rosalie thought so. I smiled as I walked into the house.

"I'm home!" I called to Charlie.

"Hey Bells!" He shouted from upstairs, I heard the tv going and I knew there was some game on.

I went to my room and put my stuff in there, being careful when placing my boots in the closet. I unpacked my over night stuff and I walked into the kitchen to start dinner. I had water boiling and pasta sauce simmering, when the phone rang. I crossed the kitchen to answer it,

"Hello?" I said walking back to the stove.

"Bella?" The voice on the other end asked.

"Hi Mom!" I had yet to talk to my mother since I had gotten here.

"Hi honey, I'm just calling to check in, how are you? How's the vacation" She asked.

"I'm fine and the vacation amazing." I informed her.

"That's great, have you made any friends?" She asked.

"Yeah there are a bunch of kids my age, my neighbors are really nice and so are their friends." I said.

"Fun! Any boys?" She asked and I could tell she was laughing.

"Yes, the neighbors have a son named Jasper, and their friends the Cullens have two boys, Emmett and Edward." I couldn't help but smile at his name.

"Do you like any of them?" She asked.

"Yes, Edward, he's really nice." I told her.

"Edward? Hmmm a little old fashioned, don't you think so? Whatever, that doesn't matter, is he cute?" She asked and I couldn't help but laugh. Sometimes I was positive that my mother was more a teenage girl than I was.

"Yes, very."

"Well, what does he look like?" She pressed.

"He's tall, with messy bronze hair, and emerald green eyes." I said once again smiling uncontrollably.

"Can he kiss?" She asked, see, teenage girl.

"Mom!"

"What?! It's an important question, don't 'Mom' me." She said with an audible laugh as I added pasta to the water and set the timer.

"So is he?"

"Yes mom, he's actually kind of amazing." I said quietly with a blush.

"Oooh, lucky you." She said.

"Who's lucky?" I heard Phil ask in the background, my blush grew even redder.

"Bella is," Mom replied, "She met a cute boy who's an 'amazing' kisser.'' I heard Phil laugh.

"Congratulations Bella! Enjoy your vacation."

"Thanks Phil." I said to my mother who told Phil. Charlie had just come down and began setting the table.

"So aside from the cute kisser, any other friends?"

"Yep." I then described Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper until the timer for the pasta went off.

"Sorry Mom, but dinner's ready, but I'll talk to you later! I love you."

"I love you too, Honey. Have Fun!"

"I will Mom. Bye!"

"Bye!" She said hanging up. I hung up the phone and poured the pasta into a bowl pouring the sauce on top. I brought it to the table and sat down.

"So how's your mother?" Charlie asked serving himself.

"She's fine, just called to check in." I told him.

"Good. How was your weekend?" He asked and I froze for a second thinking back on my weekend. I went to a party where I got drunk then assaulted, and then headed back to my boyfriend where we made out like crazy, followed by us sleeping in each others arms all night long. Not the story every father wants to hear, so I went with,

"It was fine, the party was pretty good and today we dyed a bunch of eggs for an egg hunt we're having in the children's ward at the hospital on Wednesday." Pretty good.

"Well that sounds like fun. So do you have plans for tomorrow?" He asked.

"Yes, there is a carnival in town, so Alice invited me to go with them."

"You really seem to like hanging out with the Cullens." He said.

"Yeah, they're pretty great." I had no idea where he was going with this.

"Are you dating one of them?" He asked all of a sudden, I blushed and didn't say anything, not because I was hiding, but because I was unsure of his reaction. He wouldn't ban me from seeing Edward, but he would be very cautious every time I went anywhere with the Cullens and the Hales.

"I didn't mean to snoop I just overheard you talking to your mother about a boy, so I figured I'd ask." He explained.

"No its fine, but yes I am dating Edward." I said.

"Oh, and is he going tomorrow?" He asked casually, but I read right through that.

"Yes, he's picking me up."

"Good I'd like to meet him." He said taking a bite of pasta.

"Okay." I said letting out a sigh of relief.

We finished dinner, and Charlie helped me clear the table. I got started o the dishes while he went upstairs to watch some tv before going to bed. When I finished the dishes I turned out the lights and yelled a 'goodnight' up to Charlie at 9:30.

"'Night Bells!" He shouted back.

I went to my room and changed into my PJ's, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before climbing into bed with my book. After an hour I turned out the lights and tried to sleep, but it was useless. After only two nights of sleeping in his arms I was unable to sleep without them. I closed my eyes and tried anyway.

Then there was a knock on the window. I opened my eyes to see Edward standing on the other side of the glass. I opened the window and he climbed in gracefully.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" I whispered, he smiled my favorite crooked smile.

"I didn't get my goodbye kiss." He said then pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

**So I hoped you liked and don't worry this(goodbye kiss) will continue, but I have to eat dinner right now then I'm going to bed so I'm sorry. Once again please review, I was really sad when that last chapter only got like 7 reviews! And sry for any typos this was a really fast update, I'll edit later! review!**

**Special Treat: 170 reviews(total)**

**Sooner update: 180 reviews(Total)**

**Next Update: November 16, 2008**


	15. Slips

****

**Hey everyone, Just a heads up, bella's shirt and shorts for the carnival are on my profile. please go take a peek before reading!!! Anyway, enjoy!**

**xoxo, DEVINErose**

The kiss started out sweet, but like the times before, I wanted more. I stuck my tongue out and begged for entrance. He caved with a shiver, and our tongues danced together in the most appeasing rhythm. He pulled me even tighter to him, causing our bodies to rub against each other, which in turn made me let out a moan. My lips never leaving his, he turned us around so he could sit on the bed with me standing between his legs. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his hands trailed up and down the backs of my thighs, squeezing random places, but never going too high, even though I wanted him to. I pulled back a little so I could suck his bottom lip. He let out a low groan and pulled away so he could kiss a burning trail down my neck, slowly sucking on the soft skin. I shuddered at the feeling.

I lifted one of my knees onto the bed so I could straddle him. He hadn't been expecting this, and one of his hands slipped up my leg and into my loosely fitted shorts, roughly brushing against my underwear. The sensation caused me to call out his name in ecstasy. He immediately pulled back.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that, it's just you moved your leg and I slipped. I am truly sorry." He said quickly, and I put a finger on his lips gently to silence him.

"It's okay Edward. I'm not sorry at all, but thank you for being so considerate. Next time I won't move so quickly." I said sincerely before pushing him back and straddling him. He let out a groan, as I grinded into him before attaching my lips to his. His fingers were dancing on the bare skin of my lower back, the spot where my shirt didn't reach my shorts. I kissed a straight line from his lips to the nape of his neck, my tongue flicked out and I tasted his sweet skin.

"Bella." He growled before flipping us over so he was on top, I let out a gasp, and his lips made quick work of my neck. His fingers pushed the loose collar of my shirt off my shoulder and began to kiss his way from my shoulder to the end of my collar bone, causing me to shiver. He took a small nip,

"Oh, Edward." I gasped and my fingers tightened in his hair. I felt him smile into my skin, as he placed my shirt back on my shoulder and slowly kissed back up my neck and placed a soft gentle kiss on my lips.

"I should go, you need your rest." He was still out of breath, and it made me want his lips back on mine. I groaned.

"Believe me Bella, leaving is the last thing I want to do, but you need to get some sleep if you're going to the carnival with us tomorrow." He explained as he pushed himself up. I put my hand on the back of his neck, stilling him,

"Stay, please?" I said quietly, his eyes met mine, and he nodded. He moved to take off his shoes, and shirt,

"But if I stay, Bella you have to go to sleep, okay?" I nodded glad that I had gotten my way. He was pulling back the covers for us wearing only his silk pj bottoms.

"How do you expect me to sleep Mr. Cullen, when you're next tome shirtless?" I asked with a smile.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Swan, I can rectify that fault if you wish." He said reaching for his shirt.

"No!" I exclaimed a bit too eagerly. He laughed, then climbed into bed with me. He set the alarm on his watch before pulling me into his arms.

"Charlie wants to meet you." I informed him.

"Good, I want him to meet me, I'll come by at 4:30 instead of five." He said.

"You want him to meet you?" I asked skeptically.

"Why wouldn't I?" He asked surprised.

"I don't know, most guys have this aversion to meeting their girlfriend's fathers." I explained.

"I don't mean to blow my own horn, but I'm not like most guys Bella." He said and I could tell he was smiling, I let out a small laugh before snuggling into his chest,

"No, Edward, you really aren't." I closed my eyes and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

______________________________________________________________________________

When I woke the next morning I knew he wasn't there, and my heart dropped. I pushed myself up onto my elbows and looked around the sunlit room thinking about the night before. It had been amazing, the perfect way to end my day. I went to get up for the day when I noticed a small slip of paper on the bed next to me.

_I'll be back soon, until then, look after my heart, I've left it with you._

I reread the note a couple of times, my smile becoming wider with each read. This was real, this perfect God like guy was mine to keep. I climbed out of bed and placed his note in my bedside table drawer for safe keeping.

Breakfast with Charlie was uneventful, I told him all of the details about later, where we were going, when I would be back, and most importantly when Edward was picking me up,

"Okay, well I have to go to town to pick up some supplies for the fishing trip this weekend, but I'll be back in time." He said taking a bite from his toast.

We finished breakfast around ten and I cleaned up while Charlie got dressed.

"Bye Bella!" Charlie called from the door as I was putting away the last dish.

"Bye!"

It was relatively early so I grabbed a book and made my way to the front lawn to read. I read the entire thing before hopping into the shower. I was in the shower for a while, since the water on my back felt so relaxing. When I finished I raided my wardrobe before realizing that I had no idea what to wear to something like this, but I knew who to ask. I picked up the phone to dial Alice, when it rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bella, it's Alice."

"Wow, hey Alice I was literally just about to call you." I explained, she laughed.

"That's weird, anyway I called because I just remembered that I forgot to tell you that I took the liberty of throwing some clothes in your bag after you finished packing." Alice told me.

"But Alice, I unpacked that bag last night, there was nothing but my clothes." I was highly confused.

"Check the bottom part." She instructed. I pulled out the bag, and it did seem heavier than usual. There were two parts to the bag, one on top and the other on the bottom. The other night I had only used the top part, but sure enough, when I unzipped the bottom there was a pile of clothes.

"Alice when did you get this stuff?" I asked as a blue top in the pile caught my eye, I pulled it out.

"When we went shopping, Silly. Now lets get down to the important matter at hand, how was last night?" She asked, I felt a blush creep up on my cheeks.

"Huh?" I asked, playing dumb.

"Oh cut it Bella, we all know Edward was there last night. Now, what happened?" She asked eagerly. I told her everything as I tried on the tunic she had packed me. I had to hold the phone away when she squealed after I told her about the 'goodbye' kiss.

"That's so cute! We have to talk more about this tonight, okay? Right now you need to get dressed. Bye honey."

"Bye Alice, see you tonight." I said and we hung up. I looked at myself in the mirror. The tunic I was wearing went to a little above mid thigh with a scoop neck, and I paired it with a pair of white shorts Alice had packed. The tunic was three colors, navy blue at the top, white grey in the middle, and plain blue at the bottom, the color bands were tie-dyed together, and the sleeves were 3/4 length. I felt very pretty. Since my hair had been in a bun after I got out of the shower, when I pulled it out, it fell down in waves. I checked the clock in the kitchen, it was already 4, and Charlie was pulling in. I straightened out my room while I was waiting for Edward to show up. At 4:30 on the nose, Edward rang the door bell. Charlie told me he would get the door, and I listened in from my room as I grabbed shoes.

"Good Evening, Mr. Swan." Edward said politely.

"Charlie." Charlie corrected him, "Why don't you come in?" He asked and I hear Edward step into the hallway.

"So where are you two going?" Charlie asked even though he knew where we were going.

"Myself, my brother, my sister, and the Hales are going to a carnival just outside of town, and we invited Bella to join us." Edward said. I stepped out of my room, but they hadn't noticed me,

"Sounds like fun, will there be any drinking involved?" Charlie asked bluntly.

"Of course not sir." Edward said.

"And there will be no parking, you got that?" He said pointing a finger at him.

"Ready?" I asked Edward quickly, walking up to them. His eyes froze on me,

"Bella, you look beautiful." Edward said, causing me to blush. He was wearing the most delectable green shirt with a pair of simple blue jeans.

"Thank you." I said, taking the hand he held out for me. Charlie looked between the two of us.

"Have her home by eleven." Charlie said sternly.

"I will, thank you Sir." Edward said politely and I nodded.

"Bye Dad." I said pulling Edward to the front door.

"Bye, Bells." He said, and I waved before shutting the door behind me. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist as we walked to his car.

"See that wasn't so bad." He said pressing a kiss to my temple before opening my door for me.

"Yeah I guess not, aside from the fact he is still watching us from the window." I grumbled getting in the car. Edward laughed but didn't look back to the house, to avoid getting caught seeing Charlie. He hopped in and started the car, but not before giving me a kiss I felt in my toes.

"Hello." He said with a smile before pulling away own the road his hand clasped in mine.

**Hope you like this one, Carnivals coming up next, get souped!!!! Anyway, just a heads up, I got tickets to an advanced screening of Twilight on tuesday so I won't be updating then, however if you reach the early update review quota, then the early update will be Wednesday! **

**Special treat: 199 reviews(total)**

**Sooner update: 209 reviews(total)**

**Next update: November 23, 2008**


	16. Lost Little Lambs

**Hi everyone, sorry about yesterday!!! so I hope you guys like this one!!! I really have nothing more to say, so enjoy!**

**xoxo, devinerose**

I became really excited as we pulled up to the carnival, there were so many things to do from what I saw, and we were just in the parking lot. Edward pulled into a spot next to Emmett's Jeep, where Jasper and Emmett were sitting on the bumper and Rosalie and Alice were perched on the cloth roof.

"Ready?" Edward asked. I smiled and climbed out of the car.

"So Edward, how was the ever loving father?" Emmett asked as we got out, clasping his arms around Edward's shoulders. Edward pushed him away playfully, before standing behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

"He was fine." Edward said kissing the top of my head. Emmett laughed.

"Awww, Edward made it in with the parents, aren't we proud! And here you had me worrying you would be thrown out on your but, you know since in the past week you have managed to get his daughter drunk, assaulted, snuck into her room while he was sleeping, and of course, you've kissed her brains out on more that one occasion." Emmett said laughing. I could tell Edward was fuming and I felt myself blush.

"First, aside from the last two things, none of that was my fault, and second, need I remind you of your first time meeting Rosalie's parents?" Edward said tightening his grip on my waist.

"That was low." Emmett said with a glare as Jasper, Rosalie, and Alice all started cracking up. I looked around puzzled, before looking up at Edward for an explanation.

"Well," He began, "One day, Emmett was over Rosalie's house and no one was home. So the two of them proceeded to hookup. Somehow, Emmett ended up shirtless."

"And her parents walked in?" I guessed.

"Yes they did, along with her grandparents who were in town on a surprise visit." Edward finished and I couldn't help but join in on the laughter.

"Yeah, well it wasn't that bad, according to her grandmother, I'm quite attractive." Emmett said proudly.

"And well muscled." Rosalie added.

"Yeah, I have to hear about that at every family gathering." Jasper said shuddering and still laughing.

"And Mom was just glad _I_ had all of my clothes on." Rosalie said.

"Much to my disappointment." Emmett said, jumping up to stand on the bumper, facing her and making her giggle.

"Yeah well, we remedied that didn't we?" Rosalie said with a knowing smile.

"Okay, more than I needed to know." Jasper said, plugging his ears, making Rosalie and Emmett crack up.

"Then of course Rose's dad had a nice long talk with Emmett." Alice said, laughing, Emmett shuddered.

"Scariest moment of my life, he was so calm, I thought he was going to kill me, and bury me in the back yard for that." He said, looking at Rosalie.

"Well, he likes you now, and that's all that matters.'' She said with another laugh.

"Uh hun, him and Nana." Jasper added with a laugh while Emmett shot him a glare.

"Hey, can we go, or we just going to sit here?" Alice asked.

"Yeah let's go." Rosalie said, as she jumped down and into Emmett's arms. They began to kiss as he spun them around, she laughed.

"Jasper, can I ride on you shoulders?" Alice asked with puppy dog eyes.

"Alice I swear, sometimes, you're more like my kid than my girlfriend." He said looking up at her with a smile. She grinned down at him, then stood on the bumper, so she was closer to his height.

"Maybe, but your kid would never do this." She pulled him to her by the collar and kissed him, hard. When she pulled away, they were grinning like fools.

"Hop on." Jasper said and turned around, she gracefully maneuvered herself onto his shoulders, then we were all ready. We went on a walk through first before deciding what rides to ride first. I wanted the ferris wheel, Edward wanted the haunted house, Rosalie wanted bumper cars, Jasper didn't care, Alice wanted the one where you stood up and it spun round really fast, and Emmett wanted the fun house. We decided to do the ferris wheel last, because it was best to ride when it was dark. I was amazed at how extravagant the carnival was, the ones back home were a couple of game booths, with a mini ferris wheel, operated by a man who looked too old to be alive. While getting cotton candy we decided to do the haunted house while it was still a little bit light out.

It ended up being more funny then scary, thanks to Emmett. For example, on the wall in one corridor was an old painting of a man, and when you past it the eyes would follow you. Turns out, there was an actual person doing this, by standing on the other side of the wall, we of course figured this out when Emmett decided to poke one of the eyes to see if they were real. This in turn caused the person to yelp, Emmett apologized profusely, while we all laughed like crazy.

A little while after that Emmett decided to play a prank on us by running off somewhere. We figured we'd catch up eventually, but we never did. Then we turned off into a particularly scary hallway, Rosalie leading the way, followed by Edward and I, then Alice and Jasper in the back. We all turned at the sound of a blood curdling scream, to find Jasper clutching is chest, his face frozen in fear, and Emmett doubled over with laughter.

"Emmett, you're such and ass!" Jasper said pushing Emmett, who was laughing to hard to notice, or care.

"Wait, that was you?!" Edward asked shocked, and even in the dim light we could all see Jasper blush. Rosalie, Edward, and I burst out laughing. Even Alice was fighting off a smile, while she wrapped her arms around Jasper's waist.

"Oh leave him alone." She said, smiling. Needless to say, we did more laughing in the haunted house than screaming.

"Next on our list was the bumper cars. We were standing on line waiting for our turn when Edward had an idea,

"Why don't we make a little competition for the bumper cars?"

"Excellent plan, my brother." Emmett said.

"What did you have in mind?" Jasper asked.

"Okay, so for every time you hit a car, you get a point, and for every time a car hits you, you lose a point. Who ever has the most points by the end of the ride wins." He finished.

"Wins what?" Alice asked.

"I don't know, I hadn't gotten that far." Edward admitted.

"How about we let the winner decide?" Jasper offered with a sly smile.

"You think you're going to win don't you?" Emmett asked him.

"Of course." Jasper said, as if stating the obvious.

"Yeah right," Emmett said pulling Jasper to him and giving him a knoogie, "I'm winning."

"Hey!" Jasper said laughing as he pulled away from Emmett.

"What are you two talking about? You'll be bowing down to me once this is over." Edward said confidently. Jasper and Emmett looked at each other before looking back to Edward with matching evil grins. Edward, sensing what was coming, jumped the rope that was keeping the line in a straight formation. Emmett and Jasper quickly followed and chased him down, while Alice, Rosalie, and I watched from our spot in the line.

"Boys.'' Alice and Rosalie said at the same time. They had begun to tackle Edward. I couldn't help but smile as I watched them all play fight, they just looked like they were having so much fun.

It was finally our turn and we called the boys back. We were going with four other people, two girls, and a boy and girl who looked to be brother and sister, the older of the two, the girl, couldn't have been more than ten. The two girls were talking and they couldn't stop ogling our boys. I managed to catch a snippet of their conversation,

"Look at the one with the muscles, they're just so big." I saw Rosalie turn and send the girls an icy glare that shut them up quick.

Once we were all settled into our cars the ride began. Everyone was out for blood as they went after each other like mad men, but I sat for a minute and strategized. Once I figured out my plan, I began. The ride only lasted ten minutes and when we were done we gather on, and around a picnic table near the ride.

"5!" Emmett said triumphantly.

"4." Edward grumbled.

"6." Jasper said with a smug smile, mussing Emmett's hair.

"7." Alice said.

"That's my girl." Jasper said proudly as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

"7." Rosalie said.

"Uh oh, tie." Emmett said and everyone turned to me,

"Um, 12." I said softly. Everyone's mouths dropped open to stare at me, except for Edward, who pulled me into his arms and spun me around. Alice cheered,

"I see the new girl's got skill!"

"Nice, Bella." Jasper said.

"How?" Emmett asked still shocked.

"Well I just sat in the corner and hit you guys as you came close, but you were too busy focusing on the others to retaliate." I explained, shrugging. Edward had set me down by then, and was standing next to me, his arms around my shoulders.

"Well, Bella, you're the winner, what are you going to do?" Rosalie asked uninterested.

"I don't know yet." I admitted.

"You don't have to choose now." Alice said.

"Alice's is right, we have all summer for you to collect. Now the more important question at hand is, what's next?" Emmett asked excitedly. They began to discuss what to do next, since I didn't really care, I wasn't paying any attention. That's when I heard someone crying for their mom. I began to look around and I saw the little girl and her brother, the one's who had been on the bumper cars with us. The boy was crying and the girl was looking around scared. I walked over to them. She looked to be about ten, and he was maybe six, possibly seven.

"Are you guys lost?" I asked softly, kneeling so I could be on their eye level.

"We can't find our-" The boy began.

"Kyle!" The girl scolded, "We're not supposed to talk to strangers, remember?" The little boy, Kyle, nodded, and I felt Edward come up behind me.

"You should listen to your sister, but if you guys are lost, we could help you look for your parents." I offered.

"Mom says we should stay in one place." The little girl answered, I smiled, she reminded me of when I was little.

"Your mom was right, you should stay in one place. Would you like us to stay with you while you wait?" I offered, not wanting to leave them alone. Kyle nodded eagerly,

"Okay." The girl said quietly.

"I'm going to tell them to go on without us." Edward said to me, "I'll be right back." I nodded, and he left.

"So, what are your names?" I asked.

"I'm Virginia, and his is my brother Kyle."

"Well, I'm Bella." I said holding my hand out to Virginia first, then Kyle. They both shook it. Edward had come back then,

"And this is my friend, Edward. Edward, this is Virginia and Kyle." I said, and he held out his hand, they both shook it.

"So how old are you two?" I asked.

"I'm ten and Kyle is-"

"I'm six!" Kyle said stepping from behind his sister, giving me a huge, toothless smile. I couldn't help but laugh

"And who are you here with?" I asked.

"Our Mommie, but Kyle wanted to ride the bumper cars, so I took him on them."

"Next time you should wait for your mom, she is probably really worried." Edward said kindly, but sensibly.

"I know." Virginia said looking down.

"Here, I have an idea, why don't I lift you up, then see if you see them, if not Bella can wait here with you, and I'll go to the entrance booth and see if they went there, okay?" Virginia nodded and allowed Edward to lift her onto his shoulders. In the absence of his sister's hand, Kyle latched onto mine. I couldn't help but smile at the feeling. Virginia looked around for a bit before shaking her head,

"I don't see her." She said disappointedly.

"Okay." Edward said, then she whispered something in his ear,

"Not yet, but one day, I'll make sure of it." He said sincerely.

"Promise?" She asked seriously, as he set her back on the ground.

"Promise." He said looking at me. "But Virginia, you have to promise you won't tell. Can you do that?" She nodded and held out her pinkie, Edward took it laughing.

"Now, I'm going to check the entrance and see if I can find anything out, alright? Bella, I'll be right back, everyone went to the Cyclone, if you need them." I nodded and his placed a kiss on my lips before leaving. I watched him go, then the kids and I sat on a hay bundle placed next to the bumper cars for seating. Kyle tugged on my hand.

"Are you with him?" Kyle asked sadly, I looked down at him, and smiled,

"Of course Kyle, that's why he kissed her." Virginia said, leaning forward so she could see him.

"I wasn't asking you, Ginny." Kyle said with a frown, then looking back up to me hopefully.

"Yes, I am."

"But I like you too, you're pretty." He said, looking a little heart broken.

"You're pretty cute yourself, and I'm sure you'll find a girl one day, that you'll like, and then you can ask her to be with you." I said to him with a warm smile.

"Okay." He said giving up.

"There you are!" Someone slurred, coming towards us, and I knew the moment I saw this person, I couldn't let him near the kids. I stood up and they stood up with me, Kyle had my hand, and I placed my arm protectively around Virginia's shoulders. They were both obviously scared of this man, and with good reason. He was much taller than me, 6'5", and he stunk of alcohol, despite his business attire, he was scary.

"You've found my kids, thank you so much!" He said reaching for Virginia. I angled myself so I was covering her.

"And who are you?" I asked.

"I am their father, they are my kids, now move." He said stepping closer. Kyle's grip on my hand got tighter.

"No." I said forcefully, even though I was trembling inside, where was Edward?

"Do you need me to make you?" He said through clenched teeth.

"I'd like to see you try, because I will scream so loud, you'll be leaving in hand cuffs, so I suggest you leave now, of your own free will."

"You little Slut, you wouldn't dare keep me from my kids!" He said forcefully.

"I will continue to do so, and I won't even think twice." I said as hard as I could, He raised his hand, but someone grabbed it before he could strike.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I looked up to see Emmett and Jasper. I exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Ginny, Kyle!" Someone shouted.

"Mom!" They both shouted, I looked up to see Edward running towards me, a middle aged woman in tow. Kyle and Virginia ran to her, and she dropped to her knees, clutching them close, and sobbing.

"Don't ever do that to me again." She cried, "You scared me so badly." Edward looked to my situation,

"Mrs. Cannon, do you know this man?" He asked the sobbing woman, when she saw him, she stood up, walked over to him and smacked him hard.

"Suzie." He pleaded.

"Don't you come near us again." She said before returning to her children.

"I think it would be best if you left." Jasper said. Emmett released his arm, and the man straightened out his jacket, then stumbled away, but not before giving me the death glare.

"I'm so sorry, are you okay?" Mrs. Cannon asked me.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little frazzled." I said honestly. Edward pulled me into his arms.

"Thank you so much, you have no idea, what you have just done, he has been trying to get them since our divorce. I don't know what I would have done, if, if." She couldn't finish, she just hugged her kids again.

"Thank you, is there anyway I can repay you?" She asked us.

"No, they're great kids, I'm just glad I could help." I said.

"I'd better get them home then." She said standing up, "Goodbye."

"Bye." Emmett, Jasper, Edward, and I said together. Mrs. Cannon turned to go, when Kyle and Virginia broke from her grasp and ran back to Edward and I. They wrapped their arms around my legs and hugged me tightly. I bent down and hugged them back. When I let go Virginia went to tell Edward something, while Kyle looked up to me,

"I'll keep looking, like you said." He said with a sad puppy dog look in his eyes, I got down to his eye level, and kissed his cheek. He looked pleasantly surprised,

"There will always be a spot in my heart for you, Kyle." I said honestly with a smile. He smiled back and hugged me one more time before running off to his mother and sister. They both waved then went off with their mother into the crowd. I stood back up and Edward looked at me, his eyes were glowing with admiration,

"What?" I asked, blushing.

"You're amazing, has anyone told you that?"

"Nope, you are the first." I said, and he pulled me into his arms with a kiss.

**Hope you liked!!!! So happy upcoming turkey day to all those who celebrate!!!!! And to edwardcullenissosexy, yes that quote, "Is she even Italian?" "Her name's Bella." was utterly priceless!!!!!! once again, I don't really have much to say other than I hoped you liked it, oh yeah, and REVIEW!!!!**

**Special Treat: 221 reviews(total)**

**Sooner update: 231 reviews(total)**

**Next update: November 30, 2008**


	17. Mirror, Mirror

**Hey everyone, lately I have found I really have nothing to say in these author notes, so yeah, well here's this weeks riveting new chapter!**

**xoxo, devineROSE**

**Disclaimer:**

**I OWN NOTHING, EXCEPT THIS PLOT LINE, ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO MRS. MEYER- well i guess I did have something to say.**

I felt his tongue graze my lips when Jasper and Emmett broke out into a round of fake coughing followed by a couple of 'eww's.

"Oh shut up." I said pulling away from Edward and throwing the two of them a glare. They continued to laugh.

"Why are you two still here again?" Edward asked annoyed.

"As I recall, we just saved your girl from getting a pretty nasty drunken slap, you should be a little nicer to us." Emmett said.

"I don't recall you or Rose ever being _nice_ to me when I interrupt you two, no matter what I did to help you." Edward argued, "But nevertheless, thank you." He said sincerely.

"You're welcome." Jasper and Emmett said at the same time, causing Emmett to look at Jasper.

"What the hell'd you do?" Emmett asked incredulously.

"Hey, I helped."

"How? All you did was say, 'I wouldn't do that if I were you'. You couldn't come up with anything more original there Jas?" Emmett asked with a laugh.

"Go stuff yourself." Jasper said, playfully punching Emmett.

"Guys! You both did a great job! Now, once again, why are you _still_ here?" Edward asked impatiently.

"Well, it was coming up on our turn for the Cyclone, so the girls sent us to see if the kids had been claimed yet." Emmett explained.

"Well I'm glad they did." I said, trying not to think about what could have happened if they hadn't shown up.

"Our pleasure." Jasper said with a smile.

"Now, can we go?" Emmett asked eagerly.

"Yes, Emmett, we can go." Edward said wrapping an arm around my shoulders. We followed Emmett and Jasper to the ride, explaining along the way what had happened. When we got there we saw Alice and a very annoyed and upset Rosalie standing next to the Cyclone.

"Did their mom ever show up?" Rosalie asked disgustedly. Emmett walked over to her and pulled her into his arms.

"Yes, Baby, she did and apparently the kids had run off ahead of her." Emmett explained.

"That's no excuse, she should have had her eyes on them the entire time." She said angrily.

"I would have." She said quietly.

"I know, Baby, I know." Emmett said soothingly.

"So what's the plan?" Jasper asked, drawing the attention away from his sister.

"Why don't we split up, then meet at the ferris wheel in an hour and a half?" Emmett suggested, still holding the now close to tears Rosalie. I looked up to Edward, he shook his head slightly, then mouthed 'later'.

"Sounds good to me." Emmett said and Edward lead me away into the carnival.

"So what's wrong with Rosalie? Is she okay?" I asked concernedly.

"Let's grab something to eat before I explain." Edward said, I nodded and we grabbed hot dogs from the stand, and sat on a picnic branch.

"We've been friends with Jasper and Rosalie since we moved here, and after she, Emmett, and Jasper started high school, something happened to her. It's not my place to say what, but because of that she can no longer have kids. So when that woman lost hers, it made Rosalie really mad and reminded her of her own situation." Edward explained, my jaw dropped.

"Oh." Was all I managed to get out.

"Yeah, so that's why she flipped out." He said.

"Poor Rosalie." I said quietly as I rested my head on his shoulder.

"I know, she had always wanted kids." He said semi to himself as he looked out at the crowd.

"Do you want kids?" He asked, looking down at me.

"Yes." I said with a smile as I thought about what I had seen in my future as a child.

"How many?" He asked.

"Two, a boy and a girl." I said blushing. He laughed.

"What? Why are you laughing at me?" I asked getting annoyed, and slightly embarrassed.

"Alright then, what do you want?"

"Two, a boy and a girl." He said sobering up. I couldn't help but laugh too.

"You thought about it?" I asked once the laughter subsided.

"Yep, and Jasper wants two boys and a girl, and Emmett wants a girl."

"And what does Alice want?" I asked curiously.

"She just wants girls, you know Alice." Edward said with a chuckle, looking out at the crowds passing us. We sat like that for a while.

"What do you want to do before we have to meet up with everyone?" Edward asked after a while.

"Win me something! I mean we are at a carnival after all." I said with a smile, he laughed.

"Alright, come on." He said standing up and holding out a hand for me. We wandered around the booths looking for something.

"So, what would you like me to play?" He asked as I looked around.

"Whatever you wa-" I froze and stopped talking mid sentence. There was a booth to the right of us, an old man was sitting in it, who smiled kindly at me, and behind him on the shelf was a row of stuffed animal puppies. Their fur was a golden color and they were about the size of a golden retriever puppy. What attracted me was, instead of the normal black glass eyes that stuffed animals had, these ones had colored eyes, and in between the one with red eyes and the one with blue eyes, was one with emerald green eyes, just like Edward's.

"That one please. I really like that puppy." I said to Edward, who turned around to see what I was talking about. He turned back to me and smiled before gently placing a kiss on my lips and walking me over to the booth. The game was the one where they give you three balls and you have to knock over three piles of cans.

"You sure you can handle this?" I teased as the man working the booth handed Edward three baseballs. Instead of teasing me back, Edward threw the first ball. All the cans in the first pile went down. He turned back to me and smiled cockily.

"What was that Bella? You had a question?" He teased taking me into his arms and kissing the top of my head, I pulled back laughing,

"Hey, you still have two more to go before you can get cocky." He laughed, kissed my head once more then knocked over the next two piles with ease.

"Okay, now you can be cocky." I said, he just pulled me into his arms again and laughed.

"You two remind me of me and my girl when we were your age." The old man said looking at us. I smiled,

"Thank you."

"I have a feeling I know exactly which one you want." He said turning around and plucking the puppy I wanted from the shelf. He handed it to me with a smile,

"Hold onto him." He said, and I sensed that he wasn't just talking about the puppy. I smiled and nodded.

"How did you know?" Edward asked surprised. The man winked at me,

"I just did. You two enjoy your night." He said.

"You too." Edward and I said at the same time. As we were walking away I looked back and smiled once more to the man, he nodded. I looked back down at my puppy,

"Thank you." I said to Edward, leaning up to kiss his cheek as we walked.

"Anytime." He said before pulling me into one of his earth shattering kisses. Our tongues moving in perfect sync with each other. He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me in tighter to his body, while his other hand went to the back of my neck, holding me steady. We kissed as if we were alone in the world, and nothing could touch us.

We pulled away from each other only when it was completely necessary to breathe.

"Why this one?" Edward asked, patting the puppy's head.

"Huh?" I asked, a little out of it because of our kiss. He smiled,

"This one just seemed to jump out at you, I was wondering why." He explained, I felt myself blush and I said nothing.

"Come on Bella, I hate not knowing what you're thinking." He said, and I still said nothing, embarrassed by my reasons for picking my prize. His eyes flickered with something I couldn't place and he suddenly leaned in so close our lips were almost touching. My breath caught in my throat, and I could hear my heart beating double time.

"Bella." He said soothingly. He placed a lingering kiss on my lower lip, which left me quite unsatisfied.

"Bella, Bella, Bella." His voice was filled with a longing that made my insides quiver and my knees nearly give way. His lips grazed a burning trail up my cheek to my ear.

"Bella why won't you tell me?" He whispered innocently, knowing exactly what it was doing to me. Both of his hands trailed up my thighs, over my shorts, and up to my hips, where he began to gently massage them.

"Be-because, it's...ohh...it's...Edward!" I groaned when he began to slowly suck the skin behind my ear.

"Bella, you didn't answer my question." He whispered seductively.

"I-I can't while you're doing thaaa-" I couldn't finish the word because he chose that point in time to bite the skin he had been sucking on a moment before. I felt like I was going to melt from the burning sensation that was filling my body, and my eyes drifted close. He grinned against my skin.

"Why, Bella, do you want me to stop?" He asked with mock concern.

"Um..." Was all I could get out.

"Bella, answer my first question." He instructed soothingly.

"I can't remember." I managed to say as he went back to sucking the skin behind my ear again. He chuckled,

"Why did you pick that prize?" He asked, and his tongue flicked out to graze my skin, without thinking, I blurted out,

"Because it has your eyes!" He pulled back slowly, looking at me, then he laughed. I blushed, and he continued to laugh, when he didn't stop, I punched his shoulder,

"You're evil." Then I walked away. I got about six steps before Edward's arm wrapped around my waist and I was brought back into his grasp for yet another kiss. Only this time there was no game, no ulterior motives, it was just a kiss.

"I'm sorry I laughed Bella." He said when we were done.

"I just thought it was funny that you were embarrassed by that, because I thought it was really sweet." He explained, and he kissed me again.

"It's okay." I said leaning against his forehead.

"So what's next?" He asked once we began to walk around.

"Nope, it's your turn to pick." I said adamantly.

"I'm not going to win this one, am I?" He asked, and I shook my head with a smile.

"Fine, how about we do," He looked around for something to catch his eye, "The Mirror Maze."

"Sounds good to me." I said and we walked over to the building. Unlike the haunted house, the mirror maze was only one story, but it was huge, that much was obvious from the outside, but once inside, it seemed twice as big. The walls were covered in mirrors, much like that of a ballet studio, and to create maze walls, there were mirrors place at random. Some were regular mirrors, while others were the trick mirrors. It was the opportune place for payback, especially for Edward dazzling me into a confession, so as soon as we were inside, I took my hand out of his and ran ahead into the maze.

"Bella!" Edward called after me, I just laughed and continued ahead. It was really interesting, because the mirrors were facing each other it created the infinity effect, so it was hard to tell which image was real, and where someone was. This of course played to my advantage. I kept going ahead trying to find the exit before Edward found me, when I came to a fork in the maze I turned right. I could hear Edward's footsteps behind me and I pushed faster onto the new path, then all of a sudden I couldn't hear him anymore. I stopped and tried to listen, but I got nothing, so I kept going. It wasn't until I reached the exit sign that I became worried, I looked around trying to see him, but I couldn't.

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket, the caller id read Edward. I answered,

"You're supposed to be chasing me, not the other way around." I said.

"Things change, now, turn around and take three steps forward." I stopped at this and began to look around, but I couldn't see him anywhere.

"How-" I started, but he cut me off.

"Trust me, just follow my instructions." I did as he said.

"Good, now the see path directly in front of you?" He asked.

"Yeah?"

"Don't take it, take the one on your left." I did as he said, when I turned down this path I was surrounded by images of him. It was a trick path that lead to a small circular room covered in mirrors. I looked around at the multiple Edwards, who looked to be standing behind the multiple me's. I turned around to see Edward leaning against a wall smirking at me.

"Okay, Okay, you win, I give up." I said, he smiled even wider.

"Good." Then he walked over to me and his lips crashed into mine. He walked me backwards until I was flush with the farthest mirror, which was attached to the wall, so we had no worries about knocking it over. It was ice cold against my now burning body. I pushed myself against him as our tongues danced together, he placed his hands under my butt and hoisted me up so I could wrap my legs around his waist. When he did this I pulled away from his lips, and I began to suck gently on the end of his jaw, just below his ear. He moaned a little bit, which was not nearly satisfying enough for me. I kissed my way down his neck, to where his neck met his shoulder, my tongue flicked out and I lightly licked the skin, I felt him shudder, and then I blew on that same spot, at the same time, I pushed my hips into his.

"Oh God." He moaned.

"Say my name, Edward." I whispered daringly against his skin.

"Bella." He groaned, and I smiled. I loved that I had this effect on him. When I leaned back he saw my smile,

"Oh you think that's funny?" He said, his eyes were dark and filled with a lust that set my body on fire. I could barely nod, but I still managed to do it. His eye sparkled and he pushed me further into the glass his lips attacking mine. Our tongues fought for dominance, but eventually he won. One of his hands left their perch under my butt to trail up the front of my leg, to the bottom of my shirt. His hand slipped under my shirt, just rubbing the skin at the top of my shorts, I groaned into his mouth. He placed his hand flat against the middle of my stomach and it slowly traveled upwards, staying directly in the middle. When he got to the valley of my breasts, he stopped going up, so that only the sides of his hands touched my aching breasts, he applied the slightest of pressure,

"Unnggh." I said, detaching from his lips and leaning my head back against the glass, my eyes shut,

"Say _my_ name, Bella." He said, and I shook my head, refusing to let him have his way. His lips went to my ear,

"Say it!" He said, only this time his voice was filled with so much lust, and he pushed his fingers into the skin of my chest and dragged them downward, stopping at the top of my underwear.

"Aahh" I said brokenly, "Edward!" My head fell onto his shoulder because I was no longer able to hold it up. My body was aching for some kind of release, but I knew what release it needed, and I also knew the Mirror Maze was not the place for it. We were both breathing heavily, and neither of us could move. I finally able to shakily unhook my legs from behind him and slowly put them on the ground, my knees buckled a little, but I steadied myself. Our eyes met and we both smiled at each other.

______________________________________________________________________________

We left the Mirror Maze hand in hand.

"That is now my favorite carnival attraction." Edward said with a knowing smile.

"Mine too." I said. "What time is it?"

"Um," He checked his watch, "8:20. We have about ten minutes before we meet them."

"Perfect, can we throw him in the car?" I asked gesturing to my puppy. Edward smiled,

"Sure." He said and we walked to the car.

"What are you going to name it?" Edward asked as I shut the door to the car five minutes later.

"Um," I said as we walked back into the carnival. We passed a small child sitting at a picnic table, he was eating fried dough that was covered in powered sugar, and the way he was eating it, made me crave some of my own, which is where the name popped into my head,

"Fried dough." I said, Edward looked down at me, and then he began to laugh.

"Fried dough," He thought about it for a moment, "I like it." He said kissing me on the head and he tightened his hold on my waist as we walked to the ferris wheel. Everyone was already there waiting for us, Rosalie walked over to us, surprising both Edward and I. She seemed nervous about something, but I was glad to see she was no longer upset.

"Can I ride the ferris wheel with Bella first?" Rosalie asked Edward. My jaw dropped slightly, and Edward looked surprised as well.

"You should ask her Rose." Edward said finally. She turned to me,

"Can I?" I nodded, unable to speak due to the fact that Rosalie just asked me to get o the ferris wheel alone with her.

"Thank you, now come on." She instructed, we walked up to the ride and got in an open car together.

**Soooooo, what'd ya think?? please review!!! The review amount has been good, but not great, and I was wondering if you guys wouldn't mind stepping it up!!! to those who have been reviewing, thank you all you're great!!!**

**Special Treat: 238 reviews(total)**

**Sooner update: 248 reviews(total)**

**Next update: December 7, 2008**


	18. Unhappy Beginning

**IMPORTANT!!!!! READ PLEASE!!! Hi everyone, two things;**

**In the last chapter Edward says, "**We've been friends with Jasper and Rosalie since we moved here**" It was supposed to say, "Since **_**they**_** moved here." my sucky typing is at fault for that one. Rosalie and Jasper move there, and they meet the Cullens freshman year.**

**I have changed Rosalie's story, don't like it? I am sorry, but this is what I want for my story.**

**REVIEW! This chapter is dedicated to ****shelzy****, thanks for that!**

**So that's it, enjoy the chapter,**

**XOXO, devinerose**

She didn't say anything at first, just stared out at the view in front of us.

"Bella, I take it Edward explained to you the reasons behind my comments earlier." She said still not looking at me.

"Yes, he did."

"What did he tell you?" She asked calmly.

"That you were in an accident, and that you couldn't have children because of it." I said.

"Was that all he told you?" She asked surprised, looking at me.

"Yes, he felt it wasn't his place to say anything else, I assumed it was a car accident or something." She let out a short laugh.

"That's Edward, always the gentleman." She paused for a moment, and she stopped laughing, "It was a car accident, but there was more than that." She turned out to look once again at the carnival below us.

"I was pregnant once, you know." She said calmly, as if reminiscing. I froze, my mouth slightly open. When she turned back to look at me, she saw shocked expression, and nodded.

"Freshman year, Jasper and I had just moved here a week before school started, we made quick friends with the Cullens obviously. Alice was the one to show me the ropes on the first day of school, seeing as she and I had a couple of the same classes." That left me confused,

"But I thought Alice was a year younger that you?" I asked.

"She is but she was really smart, as was Edward, and since the school was 6th through 12th, during their 8th grade year they were able to take some 9th grade classes, which I was grateful for, seeing as I didn't know anyone but them. It was funny though, because even on the first day, the school recognized all of us as royalty, even Alice and Edward, reason being we were the most attractive, like the shiny new toy that everyone wanted to play with. You should have seen the people at lunch, it was rather comical. Anyway, after three classes with at least two of the Cullens I had Pre Calc, with just Emmett. It was a senior course, but I was good with math, and that where I met him." Her voice became extremely bitter at the mention of '_him_'.

"Royce King, the most popular guy in school, he was a senior and captain of the Baseball, Basketball, and Football team, not to mention extremely rich, and rather good looking. He had pale blond hair and baby blue eyes that rivaled my violet blue ones. I hadn't noticed he was staring at me as I sat down two seats away from him because I was so accustomed to it. The next day when I got to my locker there was a single red rose taped to my locker along with a note, it just said 'See you in math.' So I had no idea who had sent it. It wasn't until I got to my math class and Royce asked if I had gotten his flower, that I realized it was him. We got to talking and at the end of class he asked me out, I of course said yes. At the time When I told Alice at lunch that day she squealed in excitement, while the boys, Emmett in particular seemed at little upset by this news. Yet they let me go ahead and do as I pleased, so I did. Life with Royce was fun, I was admired before, but being with Royce was different it was like being worshiped by guys and girls alike, and I loved it. Royce was a good date too, he always took me out to nice places, didn't mind when I wanted to spend time with Alice, didn't get jealous when I talked to other boys, and everyday there was a new rose tapped to the inside of my locker. After the first two weeks my locker smelled like a rose garden. Our physical relationship was little bit different, he wanted to go all the way before I did, so when I would say no he would get frustrated at first, then drop it. On our two month anniversary, he invited me over for a romantic dinner at his house. His parents were away at a convention and he had made me dinner, chicken and pasta, that of course should have been my first tipoff." She said, and she turned to look at me, she saw my confused expression and explained with a short laugh,

"When I turned ten my mom made angel hair pasta with red sauce and chicken, I apparently had the stomach flu, which we found out after I threw up my entire meal, which put me off pasta and chicken for the rest of my life, which is something I let everyone know. But for Royce, I just thanked him and forced it all down. Afterwards we went upstair to his room, not something uncommon we tended to hook up on his bed, only this time it went a little farther than usual, I went to stop him, and before I could he pulled back,

'Rose, baby, I love you, it's been to months, it's time, I love you, remember.' He said, and for some reason I nodded, I think it was because I actually thought that I loved him, and worse yet, i thought I could trust him." She sounded so regretful, it hurt.

"It wasn't bad, per se, but it hurt, and afterwards he drove me home. The next day I tried calling and texting him, but he never answered. Then on Monday, he ignored me like nothing had happened, like he didn't even know me. When I confronted him he said,

'Rose this was fun, but I think it's time we see other people.' He sounded so cocky, and I was so unbelievably pissed. I was Rosalie Hale, no one did that to me, so I did what I thought was best. I punched him right in his face, I managed to break his nose. I acted like everything was totally fine, but to be completely honest, it hurt. I remember going to Alice's one night, and I cried all night after telling her what happened. Somehow the entire school found out, I assumed that they would shun me for it, however, they welcomed and comforted me with open arms, to them I was still pretty." She said with a hollow laugh, and I could sense the hurt once again, it was her beauty that drew Royce in and spit her back out.

"Over the next few weeks I woke up sick and threw up every morning, it didn't take long for me to realize what was happening. I told Alice and she and I went to the drug store to pick up a pregnancy test. It was positive, and at the time, I felt like dying, my life was ruined, I was going to be an unwed, teenage mother. I was going to get fat, and no one would want me, plus on top of all that the father was an asshole. It's funny though, what I wouldn't give to have that baby with me right now." She said softly, looking down at her lap.

"Anyway, I knew I couldn't tell my parents, they were just as judgmental about teen pregnancy as everyone else, so Alice was the only one to know, Alice and Emmett. He had walked in on Alice holding me on the floor to their bathroom, holding a positive pregnancy test. I had expected him to get mad at me, because he had become so protective of me, but he didn't get mad, he just sat with Alice and I, rubbing my back. The next day at school, he went up to Royce and punched him so hard he blacked out." Rosalie laughed at that, as did I.

"The three of us managed to keep it a secret, that is until I got the flu during Thanksgiving break. It was pretty bad, and my parents were out of town for the week for an emergency work thing, we were staying with the Cullens. When I passed out from the fever, Esme, Alice, and Jasper rushed me to the hospital, when we got there Esme went to do the paper work and Alice had to tell Carlisle I was pregnant, just in case there was medicine I couldn't take, unfortunately, Jasper was standing right next to her when she said that. According to Alice, he flew off the handle at that one, and refused to see me. I remember crying to Emmett, who had been sitting with me while Alice tried to talk to Jasper, when he wouldn't come in. Emmett just calmed me down and said he would talk to Jasper. Alice came in and sat with me, for a while, then Jasper came in, he walked right over to me and pulled me into his arms. He whispered 'I'm sorry.' in my ears, as Emmett walked in, I mouthed my thanks to him and he nodded as I forgave Jasper. It took a lot of begging on my part, but I finally managed, due to the doctor patient confidentiality rule, to convince Carlisle not to tell my parents. I knew it was wrong, but I just couldn't have them know, and luckily he couldn't tell Esme either, who I knew would just go right to my mom, she's just a good person like that. So I got better and was ready for school the next week. I was with Alice and Emmett for most of the day since my brother and I didn't share any classes. Emmett always made sure I was sitting next to him for Pre Calc and Royce stayed clear of us, and I stayed clear of him.

"Then in February there was this big Valentine's Day house party. Everyone was invited, and I managed to convince everyone that I wasn't a porcelain doll and needed to get out. Believe me you have no idea how hard that was, I had to convince the people who cared the most for me and my well being, that I, at four months pregnant, should be allowed to go to a keggar. They finally agreed, only after Emmett informed them he would be at my side the whole night. When we got to the party it was already in full swing, and true to his word Emmett never left my side. We had been there for half an hour when I noticed Royce. He was staring at me, and sipping his flask, but thankfully he never came near us. I was talking to my friend Vera when Emmett left me to quickly get us something non alcoholic to drink. Within seconds of his departure Royce flocked to my side.

'Rose we need to talk.' He said and I could smell the alcohol on him. I looked around for my brother, or one of the Cullens, knowing if they saw me, they'd kill me for talking to him, but I had to tell him about the baby. I had been meaning to do it for a while." I stared at her shocked,

"Why?" I asked, the way she spoke of him made me think she didn't want anything to do with him.

"Because he was the father, he had to know. Despite my hatred for him, I still felt he had to know. So I told him fine and he led me out to his car, we sat inside but he didn't start it. He turned to me and said that he was sorry, and that he wanted me back, I refused to believe him, so I told him that, he got really mad, started the car and began to drive, I tried to get out, but he was already speeding down the street.

'Why not?' He screamed at me, I told him to stop the car and let me out, he refused by just going faster, I told him he was going to kill us he just laughed and went even faster. There must have been some black ice, because all of a sudden we were swerving out of control, and then we slammed into a tree. The car was wrapped around the trunk, on Royce's side. Finally everything stopped and all I felt was the unbearable pain, my entire body was pinned, I couldn't move anything except my head, I turned to look at Royce. His head had gone through his window and hit the tree. I was panicking because no one was coming for us, and everything was becoming fuzzy. Then I heard someone yelling my name, and the last thing I saw was Emmett's face at my window before I blacked out."

"Oh God." I whispered. "What happened?"

"I woke up a week later in the hospital. Alice and Jasper were there, he was asleep in her lap and she was holding my hand, staring off into space. I remember she jumped out of her skin when I said Hi to her. I could tell she wanted to hug me, but knew better so she settled for squeezing my hand. She explained everything to me, Royce and the baby had both died, and that I had four broken ribs, and my leg and my arm was broken. When I asked her where everyone was, she said that my parents were getting dinner and that, and I specifically remember how she couldn't look at me when she said this, Emmett had yet to stop by, or even come home for that matter. Then Jasper woke up, Alice gave us some time by getting my parents. When they came in my mom was crying and my dad was smiling uncontrollably, they were just so happy I was awake. Then Carlisle came in and said he had to talk to me, my parents and Jasper left, but Alice held steadfastly to my hand. I nodded my consent to this, and Carlisle proceeded to explain that upon impact the baby had been thrust upwards, and that had done some serious damage, he finally said that it was most likely that I would never be able to have kids. At this I was unable to speak, Alice let out a small gasp, before she slumped into her chair and began to cry. I told them I needed sometime, and asked Carlisle if he could keep everyone away for the night, when they left I cried, and cried. That had been the one thing I had ever wanted, a family. I wanted three girls, and a boy, and I wanted a big house with a kitchen that had big windows so when I made dinner I could watch my husband play with my kids in the back yard, but that was all gone, all of it. I could never have kids, and at the time I thought no man would ever want me. I cried until two when I turned on the tv in hopes it would put me to sleep, but it didn't. An hour later someone came in, I told them to please leave, that's when Emmett said, 'Okay' and went to leave, I told him to wait. He stopped and turned to look at me. I turned off the tv and gestured to the chair, he took it.

'Oh Rosie, I'm so sorry.' He said, and I could tell he really was. We talked until morning, and everyone came back. I remember Esme dragging Emmett out of the room to scold him for leaving. Carlisle informed my parent of the situation, minus the fact that I had been pregnant, and my mother just cried more and my father placed his hand on my shoulder understandingly. The hospital released me a week later, and two weeks after that Emmett asked me out, I of course said yes, and that's basically my story." She finished.

"I'm so sorry, Rosalie." I said, knowing there was not much else I could say.

"Thank you, Bella." She said, as the ride was coming to an end, "I know I'm not the most warm person towards you, it's just I have trouble with people getting too close to my family, especially after trusting Royce, you're going to have to give me some time Bella, I'm sorry." She explained.

"It's okay Rosalie, I understand." I said, she smiled at me, the first friendly smile from her I had gotten since I had been her, I smiled back and the ride stopped. We both got off and waited for the others to get off. Edward walked off of the ride with Emmett, he obviously keeping his distance from Emmett,

"Oh come on Baby, don't do this to me." Emmett called after Edward. Rosalie and I looked at each other. Emmett wrapped his arm around Edward and smiled at us, making Rosalie and I laugh. When Edward got to me he pulled away from Emmett, grabbed me around the waist, and kissed me, Emmett did the same to Rosalie. When we broke apart, I continued to laugh,

"'Baby'?" I asked Emmett, "What happened up there?" I asked turning to Edward.

"Please don't ever make me go on the ferris wheel with Emmett alone again. Since it's a 'couples ride' Emmett thought it would be _funny_ to be a couple. I have nothing against being homosexual, but when your brother tries to be your _boyfriend_, it makes me feel a little weird." He said shuddering, at that Rosalie, Emmett, and I burst out laughing. Rosalie high fived Emmett, and I kissed Edward once more,

"It's okay, I won't let him do it again." I said still laughing. I winked at Emmett and he laughed even harder. Edward and I went up once together, which ended up in us kissing the entire time, except for when we got to the top. I leaned into his side, resting my head on his shoulders, and he wrapped his arms around me, we remained like that for the rest of the ride. By the time it was over, it was time to go home. We all walked to the cars together before parting ways. The car ride home was uneventful, we just talked about meaningless trivial things like our favorite color and ice cream flavors. We arrived home right on time,

"I'll be back when he's asleep." Edward said, making me smile.

"Good. I'll see you then." I leaned over and kissed him chastely, knowing that Charlie was watching in the window. I got out grabbing Fried Dough, and Edward drove off.

"Hey, Bells." Charlie said as I came in.

"Hi, Dad." I said back, "I'm going to head off to bed. Goodnight." I said and kissed him on the cheek.

"Night Bells." He said heading up stairs. I got dressed in my pj's and climbed into bed, waiting for Edward.

Only he never came.

**IMPORTANT AS WELL!!!!! The scene when Emmett comes by and he and Rosalie talk, I am going to post some time this week, so look for it!!!!!!! Also, I know you're probably thinking, Emmett and Rosalie was love at first sight, but the thing was, Royce asked her out pretty quickly and Rosalie said yes, so, sorry! I'm also sorry it took so long to explain Rosalie's story, but I started and it kinda ran away from me, what can I say. Also thanks to the idea from ****shelzy****, I think im going to start dedicating chapters, sure that seems like a ploy to get you guys to review more, but to be frank, it is! so come on guys, impress me! I know good an well you're all capable of doing it!**

**Special treat: 247 reviews (total)**

**Sooner update: 257 reviews (total)**

**Next update: November 14, 2008**


	19. Lost in Translation

**Hey everyone!! You guys are beyond amazing!!!!!! I love you all, thanks for the amazing reviews!!!!!! They were so sweet, I didn't check them until this morning, and I nearly screamed with giddy girlish excitement, which would not have been a good idea since I was in the middle of my pre calc class!**

**Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to ****Creative. x. Insanity (I know there are no spaces, but sumfins wrong with y comp, sry!)  
thanks for that really informative review, I had no idea meh was in the dictionary! and it didn't sound rude at all!**

**Enjoy the chapter y'alls!!!!**

**xoxo, DEVINErose**

**BPOV**

I was beginning to panic when I woke up the next morning and Edward still wasn't there, there was no note, nothing. I reached for the phone on my beside table, no missed calls. I quickly flipped it open and dialed Edward's number. On the fourth ring Alice answered,

"Bella! Thank God it's you! You have to get to the house quickly, it's an emergency!"

"Alice, what-" But the line had gone dead. I couldn't breathe, my mind was racing to the worst possible scenarios, had he been in an accident on the way home, was he really sick, was he, I gulped and tried to ignore my last train of thought, _I am not going to think the worst, I would go crazy,_ I thought to myself, trying to calm myself down as best I could, in order to keep the tears from falling at the thought of him being hurt. I got up and dressed quickly, before realizing I had no way of getting to his house, I ran upstairs to Charlie's room, and knocked a little forcefully on the door.

"Dad, can I borrow the car?" I asked as soon as he opened the door.

"Sure. Here." He said handing me the keys, "You okay, Bella?" He was concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Alice called, and if you hadn't noticed, when Alice calls, it's best you go." I explained hastily. The person I cared most about could be in big danger, I had to leave.

"Yeah, I guessed that." Charlie said with a laugh, "See you later Bells."

"Bye dad!" I said as I ran out of the house starting the car. On the way over I looked to the sides of the road for broken glass or a destroyed silver volvo, something to signify an accident of some sort. But by the time I reached the Cullens I had found nothing. I quickly got out of the car and raced up the front steps, ringing the doorbell. Alice answered it, dragging me inside.

"Alice, what's going on?" I asked, panicking once again.

"Look." She said pointing at something I hadn't been able to pay attention to when I walked in.

"Alice! Are you kidding me?" I said angrily, this was her emergency? There were streamers, balloons, party decorations, and a happy birthday sign hanging in the entrance way.

"What?" She asked innocently.

"Alice, where's Edward?" I asked slowly.

"Who knows! Thank God you're here though! We need to pick something out for you to wear tonight." She said excitedly taking my hand and dragging me to the stairs. I pulled my hand out of hers, she whipped around to stare at me.

"Alice, please, is Edward okay?" I asked seriously.

"He's fine, why?" She asked confused.

"Why?! Alice, he said he was coming over last night, but never showed up. So I called _him_ panicked and _you_ answer by saying there's an emergency and I have to come over immediately. Only to be told that you have no idea where he is!" I said, very near shouting, she looked up at me, realization dawning in her eyes, then she look slightly ashamed. I opened my mouth to apologize, I didn't mean to be so angry with her, but she was speaking before I could say anything.

"Oh no, Bella, I'm so sorry!" Alice said sincerely, "I totally spaced! He told me to, but it was in the middle of the night, and I figured I could call you when I woke up, but I was so worried about the surprise party and-" She was rambling, I cut her off.

"Alice, calm down, what are you talking about?" I asked.

"The boys, the night before one of their birthdays, plan something special for a night out for the birthday boy, then they go to either Jasper's or our house for a sleepover. Well last night Edward was trying to sneak out, by telling Jasper and Emmett he was sick, but we caught him, and they all went out. Only problem is he left his cell phone here, so when he realized you were waiting for him he called me from Jasper's phone and asked me to call you. Since we got in so late, by the time he called it was 12 ish, and I figured you'd be asleep, so I thought I could call you in the morning, only, because of the party I totally forgot, even when you called I didn't remember. Bella, I'm so sorry I worried you." She said giving me a hug, which I returned.

"It's okay Alice I understand. Now, whose birthday is it?" I asked perplexed.

______________________________________________________________________________

**EPOV (the night before)**

When I walked into the house, Emmett and Jasper were playing video games, and Rosalie was painting Alice's toe nails.

"Hey guys!" I said throwing my phone and keys on the key table. I walked in to join them, knowing I wouldn't have to be at Bella's for another hour, and I had to talk to Jasper and Emmett about our annual celebration.

"Hey little Bro! You ready for your boy's birthday sleepover bash?" Alice asked chipperly, while Rosalie reminded her not to move.

"Alice, how many times do I have to tell you, it's not a _sleepover_ it's an over night bash" Emmett said defensively not taking his eyes from their video game race. Jasper was in the lead and it was annoying Emmett.

"Emmett you'll have to tell me for the rest of my life, because no matter how _you_ see it, it's a sleepover, it's time you accepted that." She said with her 'I know everything, so don't argue' smile. Emmett just rolled his eyes, and returned his attention to his race.

"About that, I was wondering if we could do it tomorrow, on my actual birthday." I said running my hand through my hair nervously. All of them looked up immediately, staring at me.

"I'm feeling kinda queasy from all that carnival food and I wouldn't be that much fun." I lied effortlessly. It wasn't that I was a liar, I tended to tell the truth most of the time, but when I did lie, I was pretty good at it.

"But Edward, we do it every year, one day before." Emmett complained, having ignored his game altogether.

"I know Emmett, but I just don't think it's a good idea, especially since we're doing the egg hunt tomorrow, too." I reasoned. I could tell Emmett was going to give in.

"I guess we could change it this once." Jasper said understandingly, and Emmett nodded.

"Alright, I guess I'm going to head up to bed. Goodnight!" I said turning to leave the room. I went upstairs, got changed, and waited for everyone to go to bed. I heard the front door shut 20 minutes later, followed by Emmett and Alice's doors. I waited another ten before quietly leaving the room. I went silently downstairs and was just about to get to the door, when the living room light switched on,

"Aha! I told you he wasn't sick!" Alice said smugly. She, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper, were in the living room, and I was busted.

"I can't believe you man, what happened to 'Bros before Hoes'?" Emmett asked.

"That is the _last_ excuse you want to use Emmett. All the times you _and_ Jasper have postponed our plans to hang out with Rosalie and Alice. So, 'Bros before hoes', not going to work." I said honestly.

"How about this one, this event takes precedence over everything because it's tradition!" Jasper said, and I could tell he was slightly upset, but wasn't letting it show. I was beginning to feel a little guilty,

"Plus Jasper and I have been working on this for a while Edward, it's you're big one-eight!" Emmett said, a little hurt.

"I'm sorry guys, I shouldn't have lied." I said ashamedly. "I just promised Bella I'd be there. Is there anyway, that just this once, we could do it tomorrow?" I was begging a little, but I didn't mind, I was just anxious to see Bella, especially after what happened in the Mirror Maze.

"Nope, were doing this tonight, Jasper and I did not spend the last week planning this so you could back out!" I opened my mouth to object,

"You can't argue just because you're the birthday boy, because it doesn't mean you get a choice. Sorry. Now, we're an hour behind schedule, so go upstairs and get dressed, were going out!" Emmett winked at Jasper and I shuddered at the thought of what they were going to do to me.

When I came down dressed they pushed me into Emmett's jeep and began to drive away, I could tell we were going to the city, but knowing these two, I had no idea what to expect. We pulled into a spot on a side street and got out.

"I can't believe you were going to give up this night of surprise fun!" Emmett said putting his arm around my shoulders with a laugh.

"Oh shit! Bella!" I reached in my pocket for my phone, only to remember it was sitting on the table next to my car keys.

"What's wrong?" Jasper asked concerned.

"Bella, I told her I was coming over, and I left my phone on the key table." I explained with a groan. I hadn't memorized Bella's number since it was in my phone, oh how the age of technology destroys us.

"Here," Jasper said handing me his phone, "Call Alice and tell her to call Bella."

"Can't I just call Bella?" I asked.

"No, I don't have her number." Jasper explained, "Sorry."

"It's fine." I said, dialing Alice's number.

"Baby?" She answered groggily.

"Not exactly." I said with a laugh. "Alice, you have Bella's number, right?'' I asked hopefully.

"Of course." She yawned.

"Can you call her and tell her I can't come tonight, I don't want her to worry." I said.

"Yeah, sure. I'll call her." She said.

"Thanks. Goodnight, Alice."

"'Night." She said before hanging up. I flipped the phone shut and handed it back to Jasper. Knowing that Alice would be calling Bella I relaxed.

"Thank you, so what's on our agenda for tonight? It's 12, what could possibly be open?" I asked, Jasper laughed and Emmett pointed to a building on the side street.

"Oh God." I groaned.

______________________________________________________________________________

**BPOV**

"He didn't tell you?!" Alice asked, and I honestly thought her jaw might just graze the floor. I deduced from her response whose it was,

"It's Edward's, isn't it?" I said exasperated.

"That's so like him too. He probably didn't want you to feel you had to get him anything." Alice said thinking about something.

"Alice, this is terrible, I don't have time to get him a gift, we have to be at the hospital for the egg hunt in," I checked my watch, "Two hours!"

"Hi girls," Esme said entering the room, "Bella, darling, what's wrong?"

"Edward didn't tell her today was his birthday, now she doesn't have a present for him. Plus we have to leave in an hour for the egg hunt." Alice explained,

"Oh, that is a problem." Esme said, then she paused for a moment,

"Girls, I think I have an idea. Come on." She said as she lead the two of us upstairs, and into the attic.

"Oh Esme, it's perfect." I exclaimed, "Thank you so much!" I said as we walked back downstairs.

"I'm just glad I could help, we should get going though. We don't want to be late." Esme said. We stopped by Carlisle's office to let him know that we should be going.

"Okay, so how are we doing this?" Carlisle asked as we all went to the garage.

"The boys and Rosalie are meeting us at the hospital, so how about Bella and I take my car and you and mom can take your car?" Alice suggested.

"Sounds good to me. The eggs were delivered this morning, and the hospital was very pleased by our idea." Carlisle told us.

"And, just so you know, when we get there, we are going to hide the eggs, then there will be, depending on how quickly we hide the eggs, a twenty to thirty minute break." He finished. Alice and I nodded then climbed in her car. With Alice's driving we got to the hospital in 45 minutes, compared to the normal hour and ten. When we went inside Alice introduced me to the nurse at the front desk. She was a kind looking older woman with blue eyes and jet black hair, and she held her hand out to me, I shook it.

"Hi sweetheart, What's your name?" She asked with a warm smile.

"Isabella, but you can call me Bella." I said shyly.

"Bella, that's pretty. I'm Elise."

"Nice to meet you."

"You too. It's so nice of you guys to be doing this for the kids."

"Well, Emmett came home with enough egg dye and eggs to put the Easter Bunny out of business. So Carlisle thought it would be best not to waste the eggs, so we decided to do an egg hunt." Alice explained.

"You're so thoughtful! Now quite talking to me, Emmett and Edward are already upstairs with Rosalie and Jasper, and a couple of other volunteers who need the community service hours for last year." My heart picked up at the mention.

"Thanks Elise, it was nice seeing you." Alice said politely.

"Good to see you too, Alice. Nice meeting you, Bella." She said giving me a smile.

"You too, Elise." I said as Alice and I headed off for the elevator. We got off on the third floor and Alice lead the way. She and I turned the corner into the children's ward to see Emmett and Rosalie talking with Jasper, in one corner, and Lauren blanetenly flirting with Edward in another, and to top it all off Mike was walking towards me, a hopeful gleam in his eye.

**I am aware that this chapter jumps around a lot, and sorry to all of those who wanted something big to happen, by the way of Edward being hurt, but I didn't want to, I mean, it's his birthday(although that would probs make it more dramariffic!)! I thought that would be cruel. So anyway, let's see if you guys can do just as well as last time with the reviews(cross my fingers!!)**

**Special Treat: 295 reviews (total)**

**Sooner Update: 305 reviews (total)**

**Next Update: December 17, 2008**


	20. Glowing

**IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!!! Hey everyone! So anyway, I have gotten a few complaints about how the special treats are just plain torture, and plus when I take the down when the new chapter goes up, you aren't able to review the new chapter which is rather problematic! So here's my idea, what I' going to do, is wait two days for the review to come in, if after the two days you have reached sooner update status, then I'll skip the special treat, and just update, if not **_**then**_** I will do a special treat! **

**XOXO, devinerose**

**I own nothing, except this story-line!**

"Hey Bella, Alice." Mike said when he reached us.

"Hey Mike." I said politely, Alice said, "Hi" as well before joining Jasper. Mike was being quite sweet, we began to talk about the day's activities.

"So it's Cullen's surprise party tonight, right?" He asked.

"Yeah it is, apparently Alice has been planning it since like three months ago." I said with a small laugh.

"That doesn't surprise me, Alice is just like that. I received my invite two months ago. So you're dating Cullen." He asked leaning back against the wall.

"Yep." I said, wondering if he was going to tell me his thoughts on the matter. I looked to Edward in hopes of a knight in shining armor rescue, but his back was to us and he was yet to notice our presence. However, Mike surprised me by asking,

"Would it be wrong of me to ask for a dance then?" He said glancing at Edward nervously. I smiled.

"I think it would be fine for you to ask that."

"Good!" He said loudly, causing Edward to turn. He saw me and his eyes filled with relief. He excused himself from Lauren's clutches and made his way over to me.

"Hey." He said with his velvet voice.

"Hi." I said as he kissed my cheek, "Happy Birthday." I said nonchalantly, Edward's eyes went wide.

"Who told you?'' He asked a little bit angry.

"Why didn't you?" I asked calmly.

"Bella, can we speak in private?" He asked and I looked to Mike, before Edward dragged me off to a storage closet. It was small, but had a checkup table in it along with cleaning supplies. Edward switched on the light and locked the door. I sat on the table to give us more room in the small space,

"Who told you?" He asked seriously.

"I figured it out on my own." I said honestly, because in reality, Alice never said it had been Edward's birthday.

"Bella, there are 365 days in a year, my birthday falls on one of them, and I'm supposed to believe that you figured out which one that was, and correctly?" He asked incredulously.

"I had help. Look, last night you never came, and when I woke up I didn't have any missed calls. So, I tried you're cell, but Alice answered, and said there had been some sort of emergency, so being worried sick, I rushed over. She said that you, Jasper, and Emmett were out celebrating one of your birthdays, but she never said which of you. So I asked whose birthday it was, and judging by her reaction, I realized it was yours. Now we're back to the question, why didn't _you_ tell me?" I asked my anger getting the best of me.

"I just," He paused, taking a deep breath and running his fingers through his hair. I itched to replace those fingers, but I fought back my urge.

"I just didn't want you to feel like you had to get me anything, okay?" He said finally.

"I understand, but you had to know I would find out eventually, then feel really bad for not having a present for you. Thankfully when I came over we sorted all that out." I said.

"Did Alice help?" He asked puzzled.

"Yes, Alice and Esme, and it's a good thing too, otherwise I would have been empty handed. It needed some fixing up, but I got it eventually with the help of Alice, but she owed me for freaking me out this morning." I said off handedly without realizing what I had said.

"What do you mean?" He asked perplexed, and I realized what I had just said.

"Oh, well, when you didn't come last night, and hadn't called when I woke up, I kind of freaked and-" He cut me off.

"Wait, Alice never called you!?" He asked livid. When I shook my head he turned and reached for the door handle.

"Edward, it wasn't her fault, she explained everything. It's fine I just freaked out unnecessarily okay?" I said with a smile, trying to comfort him. It must have worked because he turned back to me with a sigh, ignoring the door.

"Bella, I'm sorry I scared you I honestly didn't mean to." He said.

"I know. It was just a little bit scary, I-well, lets just say I have an imaginative mind that takes improbable leaps." I explained with a smile.

"I understand, and it won't happen again." He said sincerely. I nodded.

"Good, now we should get back and help hide the eggs." I said attempting to hop down from the table, he came closer, standing between my legs, preventing me from getting down.

"You're not going anywhere." He said seductively, placing a hand on either side of my thigh, I nearly melted right there.

"But Edward the others need our help.'' I said weakly, as he leaned in closer.

"Screw the others." His said, then his lips were on mine. My mind went blank and my body focused on kissing him back. My hands braided themselves into his hair, pulling him closer. We had managed to get in a few kisses before someone pounded on the door **(sorry)**.

"Edward, Bella, open up!" Edward groaned at the sound of Emmett voice as he helped me down from the table to open the door.

"Honestly guys! We're here to help sick kids, and I find you two holed up in a storage closet sucking faces. Oh, how the disappointment hurts." Emmett said playfully, shaking his head as we walked back to the group.

"Too bad though, because we picked groups already." He said with an evil smirk, that Edward picked up on.

"Emmett, what did you do?" Edward asked with a groan.

"Absolutely nothing, it was Lauren's idea." Edward stopped walking.

"What?" He asked through clenched teeth, even I was becoming a little worried.

"Since you two weren't there and Jasper was already paired with Alice, and I with Rose, when it was Lauren's turn to pick her partner, she picked you. Mike of course had no qualms about this because it left Bella for him. Jasper and I thought this was a splendid idea, because the amount of time you spend with Bella is quite concerning, especially when you blow off your friends for her, when they had something very special planned for you during your annual traditional Boy's birthday _over night_ bash." Emmett said with mock concern.

"One, I said I was sorry for that. Two, _very special_? You've got to be kidding me! You took me to a strip club!" Edward said, near shouting. It was my turn to stop walking,

"You took him where?" I asked the two of them, Emmett was grinning ear to ear and Edward looked slightly mortified.

"We took your boy here to a strip club to commemorate his 18th birthday!" Emmett said jovially, wrapping his arm around Edward's shoulders.

"Bella I-" Edward began to explain hurriedly, but I started laughing, shocking both of them. Still laughing, I walked over to Edward and hugged him.

"You're not mad?" Edward asked astounded, leaning back but never letting go.

"Of course not!" I said with a chuckle.

"I'm proud of you Bella, most girls would be pissed we took their boyfriend to a strip club. Oh and sorry about Newton, Jasper and I needed our pay back, and Lauren just handed it to us." He said, I could tell he was feeling a little bit guilty.

"It's alright Emmett, I'm not saying I like it, but I do understand. However, if Lauren does anything, let's just say it'll be a good thing we're in a hospital." I said as we continued walking, they both stared at me,

"What?" I asked innocently, they both laughed, and Emmett pulled me into one of his bone crushing hugs.

"Bella, you are now officially my new baby sister!" He said with a laugh wrapping an arm around my shoulder

"Thanks, Emmett!" I said with a smile. We walked back to the common room, and I joined Mike who was sitting on the couch. As soon as Edward entered the room, Lauren ran over and hugged him tightly, he disentangled himself from her arms, and she explained to him their situation. I shuddered and controlled the urge to do something that wasn't very nice. Mike went and grabbed our basket of eggs to hide, as we listened to the nurses about where we could and couldn't hide the eggs as well as what to do if something were to happen to one of our kids. I had a pretty good time with Mike hiding the eggs, which albeit was a surprise for me, he wasn't touchy feely in any way, not like Lauren who, every time I looked over, had a hand on Edward's arm, or something else along those lines. I calmed the green monster inside of me by reminding myself that Edward was mine. Once Mike and I finished we headed back to the common room to await further instructions. Groups began to slowly come back, one by one, Rosalie and Emmett, Alice and Jasper, another volunteer pair, and lastly Edward and Lauren. She was rambling in his ear about something that was obviously boring him to death, Emmett and Jasper began to laugh at the sight of them together.

"Hello everyone," Carlisle said as he entered the room, "Each pair of you will be assigned a group of 16 patients, as well as a nurse who will be your guide. So let's get stared. Emmett and Rosalie, your group is in room 28C, Bella and Mike, your group is in room 10B." Carlisle continued to inform everyone where they were going, but Mike and I decided to go to our room. Which was modeled much like the common room, only in here it was Disney themed, and there were sixteen small children looking up at us with eyes that were shinning with childlike wonder and delight, which made my heart swell,

"Hi everyone!" I said with a smile, they all said Hi at once.

"I'm Bella and this is my friend Mike." Mike waved as I introduced us.

"So what are your names?" I asked, and was greeted with a chorus of different names.

"Woah guys, one at a time." Mike said nicely, but I could tell he was nervous, and slightly scared. A nurse entered the room at that time,

"Okay kids, why don't you guys sit in a circle." She instructed, and the kids did as the were told.

"Hi, I'm Maggie." She said sweetly, Mike and I introduced ourselves.

"Okay, so your group is the garden group. It's normally used for patients who want to get out and plant, but can't go outside, but for today its ours. The kids have been told where they can and can't go, so there are no worries about that, now if you want to come join the circle." Maggie said, showing us where to sit. Mike and I sat next to each other and Maggie sat across from us. I decided to play a game for a fun way to learn their names.

"Okay so here's how you play the game, a person says their name and a sound, then the person after them has to say everyone's name that came before them, their own name and sound. Mike and I will go last, and have to say everyone's name and sound. Do you think you're up for it?" The little kids nodded eagerly, and we began with the small girl on my left. After a few mistakes, we finally got all the way around the circle, and it was my turn since I had decided to go dead last.

"Kelly, zop. Max, Ring. Samantha, woof. Rachel, fizz. Miles, Boing. Stephanie, zzzz. Samuel, ca-ching. Rich, ca-chow. Frances, squish. Kingsley, boom. Mitch, brrrr. Sasha, mwuah. Maggie, la la la. Brandon, crash. Anthony, achoo. Debbie, blaaa. Evie, bling, bling. Mike, oh yeah. Bella, ta da!" I finished, and everyone clapped and laughed.

"Alright guys, I think it's time for some egg hunting!" Maggie said, causing the kids to cheer. We handed out the baskets, then had the kids line up at the door. The garden was on the ground level and it was unlike any garden I had ever seen, especially a hospital garden. It was about half the size of a football field and was encased in glass, the grass was soft and there were bushes, flower patches, and even a few small trees. Next to the entrance there was a plaque, it read;

_This garden is in honor of Esme Cullen._

I couldn't help but smile, from what I had heard from Edward, Esme had quite the green thumb. The kids were eager to get inside and begin, so we opened the doors and off they ran. It was so much fun to watch them hunt, after a few minutes the boy roped Mike into helping them find some of the better hidden ones. It was then that I heard sobbing coming from behind me, it was Sasha,

"Sasha, what's wrong, are you hurt?" I asked worriedly, kneeling so I was on her eye level, she just shook her head.

"Then what's wrong?" I asked.

"Everyone else is finding eggs, but I can't. Every time I see one, someone else grabs it. I suck." She said adamantly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"First things first. One, you don't suck, two, those other kids, may be faster, but just remember, you saw them before they did, which I think makes you a little bit better, and third, you're never going to get _any_ eggs if you just sit here pouting." I said with a smile, "Now come on." I said, standing up and holding out my hand, which she took. We began to hunt eggs, being taller than most of the little kids, I saw ones they couldn't spot. Sasha was grinning by the time we had to get back to our room.

"Hey, I have and idea." Mike said once we got back to our room, how about we split up into boys and girls, then we count our eggs, and see who has more." The kids all cheered "yeah"

"And what do we get if we win?" Mitch asked.

"Bragging rights?" Mike said unsure.

"What are those?" Kelly asked, I laughed and explained to them what bragging rights were. At first I thought they wouldn't want just Bragging rights as a prize, but it turns out they thought they would make for an excellent prize. Once everyone counted their eggs, Mike and I helped them tally their numbers.

"Okay, so after the tally, the boys total is 34 eggs." Mike announced and the boys looked confident and rather happy.

"I'm sorry girls, but," I looked down at the group of girls, they all looked disappointed, "But we only got 36." It took a second for my words to sink in, but when they did, the girls were jumping with joy and laughing, I couldn't help but start laughing with them.

We sat with the kids for a while before it was time to meet back up with everyone else. The common room had snack and drinks for us, everyone was there except Emmett. As soon as Mike and I entered, Edward came over to me and pulled me into a hug,

"Thank God you're here." He whispered in my ear, and I saw over his shoulder, Lauren glaring at the two of us, I just smiled back at her, as Edward let go.

"So I take it Emmett and Jasper got the perfect revenge?" I asked with a smile.

"You have no idea."

"Hey Cullen." Mike said, he was still standing next to me.

"Hey." Edward said back, and we walked over to the snack table. After a while, everyone had left except for Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Edward and I. Emmett had yet to show up,

"Has anyone seen Emmett?" Rosalie asked worriedly, as we shook our heads.

"He said he had to go do something and that he would be back in half an hour it's been an hour, Emmett's not one to be late." She said looking around. Edward then pulled out his cell,

"Don't bother I tried already." Rosalie said to him, and he put it back in his pocket.

"Why don't we look around and see if we can find him." Edward suggested, everyone nodded. Alice and Jasper volunteered to wait in the common room in case he showed up. We started out in the children's ward, to see if he had gone back to talk to one of the kids, but he hadn't. We asked at the nurses station, but none of them had seen him. We were going to head downstairs when Edward suggested the small Library, since it was on the same floor, Rosalie nodded but seemed unsure. We went inside, and sure enough we heard Emmett's booming voice, coming from the back corner,

"And all the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put Humpty together again. Okay, so I have two questions for you, who in the world decided to make Humpty an egg and then sit him on a high wall, where he could easily have a great fall, I mean lets be honest, can eggs sit on walls?" Emmett asked skeptically, and then we heard a chorus of small voices laughing and giggling the answer 'no'.

"Yeah, I didn't think so, and who in the world asked the horses for help? They don't even have thumbs!" We rounded the corner just as the kids began laughing even harder, to see Emmett surrounded by kids, some were in beds, others in wheelchairs, and there were a few on the ground, looking up at Emmett with wonder and adoration. They were the little kids who were too sick to go on the eggs hunt, my heart broke for them, but they seemed to be content with Emmett as their replacement fun. Emmett looked up and saw us standing and watching him,

"Uh oh guys, looks like they've found me and I have to go. Quick! Close your eyes, and maybe they won't see us." He then squeezed his eyes shut, making all of the kids laugh even harder as the followed suit. After a few seconds he opened one eye,

"Awww rats! They're still here!" Emmett said smiling at us, more specifically Rosalie. She looked to be close to tears as she beamed back at him. The kids were still laughing.

"Edward, Bella, and Rosalie, plug your ears, you can't hear our plan!" Emmett said, and the three of us laughed as we put our fingers in our ear,

"Okay, see that beautiful girl with the blond hair?" Emmett asked the group, his voice was muffled but I could still hear, they nodded.

"That's Rosalie, remember the one I was telling you about?"

"The one you said you were gunna-" One boy started, but a little girl cut the boy off,

"Remember, that was a secret remember."

"Oh yeah!" The little kid said, then pretended to zip his lips and throw away the key.

"Right, but remember how I asked you guys if you would say what I wanted you to say for me, because remember, I'm too nervous?" Emmett asked, and they all nodded their heads, big grins on their faces.

"Okay, so when I say so, you guys will ask for me?" Emmett asked unsure, they nodded once again,

"Awww, you guys are the best." He said sincerely, they all looked so proud to be called the best by Emmett.

"Okay guys, you can pull your fingers out of your ears," We did as he said, "Ready?" The kids just smiled,

"On the count of three, one, two, three." Emmett said grinning, looking directly at Rosalie,

"Rosalie, will you marry me?" The kids all shouted together. I stared at Rosalie, whose hand was now covering her mouth, tears were rolling down her cheeks. Everyone was too scared to break the silence as we waited for her response. She slowly removed her hand from her mouth, she was grinning from ear to ear, and she was still crying.

"Yes, of course I will." She overcome with joy, and couldn't stop smiling. All of the kids cheered, and Emmett got up, walked right over to her and kissed her tears away before kissing her lips. Some of the girls awwed while the boys said things like 'ew gross' and 'yuck'. Emmett pulled away, he looked to Edward, who handed him a small black box, before getting down on one knee, opening the box and pulling out an engagement ring that just screamed Rosalie. It had three stones and it's band was silver with tiny diamonds inlaid in it, it slid perfectly onto her ring finger. They couldn't take their eyes off of each other, he pulled her in for another kiss. When Emmett pulled away this time, Rosalie was practically glowing.

**Special Treat: 333 reviews (total)**

**Sooner update: 343 reviews (total)**

**Next Update: December 20, 2008**


	21. Love

**Hey everyone! This is an early update(and not proofread, just spell checked-sorry, mom's enforcing a bed time), so like i said last time, I was going to check my reviews two days after I update, instead of right away, so maybe instead of writing a special treat, I could just update sooner, and let me just say............HOLY SHIT ON AN ALTER(no offense just how i speak sometimes)!!! You guys are AMAZING!!!! Once again I was in the middle of precalc when I checked the review count, and lets just say my teacher was not very happy when I randomly squealed with girlish delight!!!!!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! This chapter is dedicated to each and everyone of you that reviewed! I love you, okay, now that I've said that, lets get on with our story, shall we?**

**xOxO, dEvInErOsE**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable characters.**

After saying goodbye, we left the library to find Jasper and Alice. Emmett was carrying Rosalie on his back, and the two of them would just start giggling randomly, as if just remembering what happened in the library.

"Rosalie, I want you to know that this doesn't mean we have to get married right away." Emmett said turning his head so he could see Rosalie. She smiled down at him,

"I know, Em." She said warmly, he grinned.

"I was thinking after graduation, which give you and Alice a good four years to plan." Emmett said with a laugh, which Rosalie joined in on.

"Sounds good to me." She said, kissing the top of his head. He spun her around in circles a few times, she squealed, and giggled. It was nice to see Rosalie so carefree, in a way that only Emmett could make her.

"Emmett, how long have you been planning this?" I asked when he had stopped spinning

"Well Lil' Sis, I came up with my proposal this afternoon, so before I snuck off, I slipped the ring to Edward so Rosie wouldn't see it. And the ring, I bought two weeks after Rosalie agreed to go out with me." He said with a goofy, love struck smile. Rosalie stopped moving on his back, and her eyes seemed to be watering again.

"Emmett McCarthy Cullen, I love you, I hope you know that." She said so sincerely, I felt as though, by hearing, I was intruding on their personal moment.

"I love you too, Rosie." Emmett said on the most heartfelt voice I had ever heard him use.

"Congratulations guys." Edward said after they had broke out of their own little world.

"Thank you." They said together, which made us all laugh. We were nearly at the common room.

"Okay, so Rose, you ready to tell Alice?" Emmett asked.

"Yes, but I still have no idea how I'm going to tell Jasper." She said, twisting the ring nervously on her finger.

"No need." Emmett said with a smile.

"He knows?!" Rosalie near shouted.

"Of course, as does your father, I asked both of their permission beforehand. I felt it was what I had to do, to ask Jasper, he's your brother and my best friend." Emmett explained. Rosalie just hugged him again and we walked into the common room.

"You found him!" Alice said skipping over to us. Jasper smiled at the two of them. He got up as well and walked over, shaking Emmett's hand. Alice looked between the two of them, then over to Rosalie's still glowing and slightly tear stained face, then down to Rosalie's left hand. We all watched her, waiting for her to put it all together. She screamed and wrapped her arms around Rosalie,

"We're sisters!" She squealed.

"Alice, please don't say that." Jasper begged, plugging his ears. We all laughed, then Alice hugged her brother, as Jasper hugged Rosalie.

"Grandma will certainly be happy." Jasper said, we all continued to laugh,

"But seriously, I'm really happy for you two." Jasper said as he pulled away from Rosalie.

"Oh this summer has been the best summer ever! Everyone's so happy!" Alice exclaimed bouncing up and down. Jasper smiled and pulled her into a hug.

___________________________________________

We were walking out to the cars, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie were ahead of us. Edward's arm was securely wrapped around my waist, holding me tight to his side.

"Alice was right, this is the best summer ever." He whispered in my ear.

"I know, Rosalie and Emmett seem so happy." I said looking at the ahead of us.

"No, it's the best summer ever because you're here." He said and I felt him smile against my ear. My heart swelled, I wrapped my arms around him and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"I think this is the best summer ever as well." I said with a smile. He grinned and swooped me up into his arms, and we crossed the parking lot over to his car. Where Jasper and Alice were waiting, well not really waiting, so much as severely making out on the trunk of his car.

"Wh-What are you two-off my car get!" Edward said stumbling for words, which I thought was rather hilarious, as did Alice and Jasper. They were laughing as they pulled apart, Jasper helped Alice down from the trunk,

"Come on Edward," She said teasingly, "I know you're better at sentences than that, remember, subject, verb." She said tauntingly, causing Jasper and I burst into peels of laughter.

"Come on Bella, lets go." Edward said, ignoring Alice's quip and carrying me to my side of the car.

"Nun-Un, sorry pal, but Bella's coming with me." Alice said walking over to us.

"No way, I haven't had her all day." Edward complained like a small child as he set me down.

"Oh Edward calm down a few more hours won't hurt." Alice said taking my hand and pulling me away.

"But-" Edward started.

"Butts are for cigarettes Edward, we'll see you tonight." Alice said over her shoulder as we walked to her Porsche. I turned back to blow his a kiss, coupled with an apologetic look. He nodded and got in his car, along with Jasper.

"Jasper's not coming?" I asked surprised.

"No way, first, we still have to find you something to wear, and how in the world do you expect Edward to stay away from the house?" She said as if I were missing the obvious as we climbed into the car.

"Right, so what's Jasper going to do with him?" I asked and she started the car.

"Well, Jasper is taking him out for the afternoon, then they are going to meet Emmett back at Jasper's house to get ready for what Edward thinks is a formal dinner with his family." She explained.

"Oh, well that works."

"Yep, now, we have to somehow manage to get you something to wear, and get you and ourselves ready in the next four hours." She said

"Oh joy." I said sinking lower into my seat.

_____________________________________

After a short trip to the mall, well, short by Alice's standards, I found myself sitting alone in Alice's room in nothing but a brand new pair of underwear as I waited for her and Rosalie to finish setting up for their annual Bella Barbie. Finally, they called me in and before they sat me down Rosalie hand me an oversized button down, I took it and sat in the chair they had set out for me. Rosalie started out on my hair as Alice began applying a light layer of foundation to my face. Rosalie straightened it it first, then sprayed it with some product, she parted it into four sections, making the back of my head look much like that of a four paned window, lastly she twisted each section into a tight bun. She stepped out of the room, informing Alice and I that she would be back in ten minutes. Alice continued to work on my eyeshadow.

"You love him don't you?" She said, I opened one eye to see her smiling down at me.

"Alice, I've only known him for a couple of weeks." I said, blushing and looking down. I wanted to scream yes, shout it from the rooftops, but my logical brain told me it was too soon to be love, Alice's tinkling laugh broke me from my thoughts, I looked at her puzzled

"Oh Bella," She said shaking her head, "You think that means something? Bella, did Edward ever tell you about the very first time I saw Jasper?" I shook my head,

"Well, the first time I met Jasper he had accidentally walked into my room, he was looking for Emmett, I of course was in bed, flipping through a catalogue. He was about to apologize and leave when I stopped him. I walked right up to him, looked him dead in the eye and said, 'You've kept me waiting a long time.' To this he said simply, 'I'm sorry ma'am', then I reached out and took his hand and I knew from that moment on that I loved him, and that he loved me. So Bella, when you say that you can't be in love with him because you've only known him for two weeks, I have to laugh at that. Now close." She said, gesturing to my eyes, I did as she said.

"Alice, I really do love him." I said softly, she pulled back for a moment, and she did a very unlike Alice thing, she smiled down at me warmly, before kissing my cheek,

"I know." She said, and I couldn't help grinning like a fool,

"I love him." I said, then I couldn't help the joyous laughter from spilling from my mouth, Alice soon joined in and then like Alice, she jumped up and down clapping her hands, she pulled me out of my chair and we spun around the room like crazy people, before falling from dizziness.

"Oh Alice, I love him." I sighed as we leaned against the tub to catch our breath.

"Doesn't it feel amazing?" She asked. I laughed,

"Yeah, it does." Then came another round of girlish giggling.

______________________________________

Rosalie came back as promised ten minutes after she left. She had on her dress for the party, it was a black, strapless, bubble dress with a sweetheart neckline. The fabric was shiny when under the bright florescent light, and there was a bow sitting just below her breasts on the empire waist line. She looked amazing, and all she had done was put on a dress. She was carrying a thin head band, it was black velvet, with a bow on the side of it. She began to pull out the buns she set in place and let the wave tumble out, then she placed the head band in my hair, pushing it back a little to far, then pulling it forward just enough to hide the black band.

"Perfect." She said with a smile. Alice finished up with my lipstick and we walked out of the bathroom and into Alice's room. Alice went off into her closet to get dressed as Rosalie went back into the bathroom to do her hair and makeup, and my dress was laid out on the bed. I had really liked this one, it was two layers, the bottom was black silk, and the top was black lace, which was an inch shorter than the silk layer. It was empire waisted, but it was very loose, and it flowed out, down to about mid thigh, a little shorter, and there was a scoop neckline. The sleeves were just lace, they hugged my skin, and just went to the elbow. I slipped it on and slid on my shoes, black pumps. I was shaky about agreeing to these at first, but I finally gave into Alice. Once I was fully put together I walked slash hobbled over to the full length mirror. My eyes were slightly smokey, mixed with peach and gold, and my lips were bright red. I loved it, it was perfect, the heel, and the length of the dress made my legs look ten miles long, something I had never imagined possible, and the push up bra Alice had bought had also given me more than the hint of cleavage I thought I had. It was perfect,

"Aaaahhhh! It's totally perfect, I knew it!" Alice squealed, I turned, she was also dressed, hers was strapless with a sweetheart neckline, like Rosalie's, only Alice's was white tiered mesh dress. There was a black ribbon that wrapped around her bust, that tied in the front with a bow. She looked wonderful, and she ran off to do her makeup. Rosalie having done her make up and hair looked beyond beautiful. I suddenly felt inadequate standing with her.

"You look gorgeous, Bella." She said. I smiled, but she didn't see it, she had left the room by then. I took that as a sign that Rosalie was warming up to me, and with a smile on my face I practiced walking around the room. I only fell once, however my tripping record was not as pristine by the time Alice was ready to go downstairs. The entire first floor had been transformed into a hot LA night club. There were strobe lights, a dance floor, and a DJ's booth where the living room had once been, and the dining room had circular tables each wit balloons and confetti.

"Alice." I gasped.

"Now you can see why I forgot to call." She said with a smile and a wink.

**I know, i know, you all hate me for leaving you without a single kiss, I know! but I don't want to spill anything, but I fully intend to make it up to you in the next chapter! And yes, my inspiration came from blair waldorf's outfit in season one(EXCEPT THE HEADBAND!- blairs headband was too big for my taste), episode one, I loved the look, so I thought this would be the opportune time to show it off, when I found the dress at nordstroms.**

**Special treat: 367 reviews(total)**

**Sooner update: 377 reviews (total)**

**Next update: December 22, 2008**


	22. Dancing Mates

**Hey everyone! Sorry its so late, this was the last week of school before break so my teachers decided to have all of my tests today and yesterday. so with out further adieu,**

**xoxo, DEVINErose**

**I own nothing!**

"Now you see why I forgot to call you." Alice said with a smirk as she continued down the stairs. Figuring I would just get in the way I sat down to watch people rushing around trying to fix last minute details. I looked around the house, which seemed to be the perfect layout for this what Alice had planned, from where I sat in the middle of the staircase. The living room, which spanned the entire side of the house, had all the furniture removed from it and the floor had been covered in a layer of hardwood, much like that of a dance floor. In the far corner a DJ was setting up his music for the night, on either side of him were speakers and above the speakers were strobe lights, and multicolored flashing lights. On the far wall was a long table with a black table cloth on it, already there were a few presents resting on it, my thoughts drifted to my present, which was tucked safely away in Alice's room. Despite all of those things the most interesting part of the decorations, in my opinion, was that the entire ceiling was covered in black and white helium balloons, there wasn't a single space where I could see the white of the ceiling. In the dining room there were several tables each covered in an either black, or white table cloth, on top of which, was a collection of black and white balloons, tied down by a weight placed in the middle of the tables. There were ten chairs to a table, and I began to wonder how many people were actually coming.

"Surprised?" A voice asked, most likely commenting on my puzzled expression. I looked up to see Emmett.

"Yeah just a touch. Aren't you supposed-" I began.

"At Jasper's?" Emmett cut me off with a sigh before joining me on the stairs, "Yep, but Alice called and said she needed to over the guest list with me." He said looking out at everything.

"Why?" I asked surprised Alice would need to go over the guest list with Emmett.

"Alice decided I looked scarier than any bouncer that she could have hired," As he said that I couldn't help but laugh, that was so true, although anyone who really knew Emmett, knew he was harmless.

"So she wants to make sure I have the guest list, and have looked it over a few times before the party begins." He finished.

"Bouncer huh? Now, what does that entail?" I asked, honestly curious, would people actually try to sneak into a birthday party?

"I have to take their invites, and then check their names off of the list. The last time we had a party, we didn't think about this, and ended up with a bunch crashers, so, this time we prepared ahead of time." He explained.

"Who's coming?" I asked curiously.

"Well, Alice and Edward's entire grade and a few from mine." Emmett said as my jaw dropped. He laughed at this,

"You seem surprised lil' sis, it _is_ Alice we're talking about here. Honestly, you should see her annual costume party at the end of the summer, that's out in the backyard in addition to the house, and it's all of her grade, my grade, _and_ a bunch of the Sophomores." He said.

"Okay, wow, that's um wow." Was all I could get out, thinking about how they would manage to fit that many people, Emmett's laugh boomed through the house at my response. This of course alerted Alice to his presence and she called for him. He groaned,

"That's my cue, see ya Bells." He said. He reached to rub my head,

"Emmett don't you dare touch her hair! I did not work for all of the time only to have you screw it up." Rosalie shouted down at him from over the second floor banister. Emmett just smiled and winked up at her,

"Sorry Baby." He said before leaving to find Alice, Rosalie went back to whatever she was doing, and I just continued to sit there, waiting for something to happen.

__________________________________________________________________

The doorbell rang twenty minutes later and Emmett opened it for the first wave of guests. I thought it laughable that each guest that entered seemed deathly afraid of Emmett. The music was blasting from the speakers, causing the entire house to pulse to the beat. I stood and watched a few brave souls make their way out onto the dance floor, once they did, others joined them, and soon the entire floor was covered in dancing bodies.

"Boo!" Someone whispered in my ear from behind me. I let out a small squeal and jumped forward. A few people began to look at me, and I felt the heat rush up to my cheeks. I turned to see who had decided to take it upon themselves to scare the crap out of me. As soon as I saw who it was I took a few steps back and looked around discretely for Emmett.

"Bella, calm down, I just came here to apologize." James said sincerely over the noise of the music.

"Sure you are." I said sarcastically, "What do you want James?" I asked when he didn't go away.

"I really wanted to apologize." He said taking a cautionistic step towards me, I took a step back.

"Seriously Bella, would you just listen to me. That night, I was totally wasted, and the you showed up in the bathroom, and you looked so pretty, then you were up and standing right in front of me, and I couldn't help it. I'm sorry, I really am." He said, looking in my eyes for my forgiveness, which at first I had been apprehensive to give, but he actually seemed sorry. I nodded,

"It's okay James, I understand." I said with a sigh. He smiled,

"Thank you Bella. I felt really bad the next morning."

"I'm pretty sure that had nothing to do with me." I said with a smile. He laughed.

"Yeah you're probably right." He said, then he looked out at the window then back to me.

"So Bella, is there anyway I could interest you in a dance, I promise I'll keep my lips to myself, and I haven't had anything to drink all night, I promise" He said. When I didn't give him an immediate answer he held his right hand in the air while the other covered his heart,

"Scott's honor." He said with a smile, I smiled back and nodded my head. He led me to the dance floor, spun me around his finger then pulled me into him so my back was pressed against chest. His hands rested respectfully on my hips, and didn't move as we moved to the beat of the song. When the song was over another song came on and we continued dancing. It was fun dancing with James, he was respectful, and he could actually dance. We continued dancing together until the music was cut short and Alice, who announced that Edward was down the street and she was going to turn out the lights, so when he came in we could all jump and yell surprise.

"I'd better get going." James said letting go of me.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"Well, Edward might get a little upset by my presence, you know after what happened last time, plus I only came by to apologize." He said with a charming smile.

"I understand." I said, he hugged me then walked out.

Edward looked so amazing as he walked in, my breath didn't come out when everyone screamed surprise. He was wearing a crisp clean fitted suit, it was black with a white shirt and a black tie. Jasper was laughing at him for jumping nearly three feet in the air in shock. I watched as Edward gave polite 'thank you's to everyone and the music started back up. As soon as he could get away without seeming rude, he walked right over to me and pulled me into his arms for a kiss. When we leaned away from each other his arms were still around my waist, and our forehead we touching. I smiled up at him.

"Happy birthday." I said, he smiled,

"It is now. You look beautiful." He said, standing up straight.

"Thank you, you look pretty good yourself, a little like James Bod." I said straightening his tie. He laughed,

"Thank you. That's by far the best compliment I've gotten all night." He said.

"I missed you." I said, he pulled me in closer.

"I missed you too. Remind me never to spend that much time away from you again." He said with a chuckle,

"Will do." I said with a smile. Someone next to us cleared their throat and we turned to see Mike standing next to us.

"Hey Mike." I said politely, despite the fact I was upset he interrupted our moment.

"Hey Bella, Happy birthday, Edward." Mike said nervously.

"Thanks. How can we help you?" Edward asked, trying to get rid of Mike.

"I was wondering if, Bella, I could get that dance you promised?" He hurried through the last part of his question and I had to fight not to laugh.

"Mike, why didn't you ask earlier?" Edward asked surprised Mike hadn't jumped at the chance of Edward not being there to dance with me.

"Well, she just seemed to be having fun with James since he got here, I didn't want to interrupt." He said simply. My heart froze, I felt Edward stiffen beside me. I daringly looked up at him, he didn't even look at me, but I could see the pain and anger evident on his face.

"Oh, I see, well yes of course, I have to go do something right now anyway." He said before removing his arms from around me and walking off. I went to follow him but Mike already had my hand and was leading me over to the dance floor. I looked back to see if I could see Edward, when I couldn't, I relented to Mike's pull and walked over to the dance floor with him. I felt tears prick at my eyes as Mike turned me around as we danced. Mike had obviously been practicing, he managed to stay on beat, but I couldn't pay attention to him at all. When the song ended I excused myself and tried to find Edward. I looked everywhere, I even tried all of the upstairs rooms.

When I couldn't find him I made my way back downstairs, half way down I saw a flash of bronze on the dance floor, and I looked to see Edward. I went down two more steps before realizing the situation. Lauren's back was smashed as close as possible to Edward's chest, his hands resting on her hips and they we dancing. Lauren saw me, she smiled slyly and winked up at me before letting her eyes drift close. Then she lifted her arm around Edward's neck, and leaned her head back so it was on his shoulder and her cheek was pressed against his neck. He didn't do anything to stop her, they just continued to dance. Tears began to slid down my cheeks, and I made no move to wipe them away. My hands were clutching the banister, and my heart was in my stomach as I continued to watch them dance, each rock of their body wrenching a hole in my displaced heart.

"Bella, what are you-" Jasper asked, he was also coming from downstairs. I turned to look up at him for a moment before looking back at Edward and Lauren. Jasper followed my gaze.

"Oh." He said, that broke me and I rushed past him, despite him calling after me, upstairs into Alice's room. I ripped the heels off my feet and I sat on the edge of the bed with my elbows resting on my knees, and my head in my hands as the tears continued to flow.

**EPOV**

The image of Bella pressed against James was seared in my mind. I froze, unable to move, I couldn't even look at her as I answered Mike before walking away. I had to be alone, so I went upstairs to my room. I sat there, trying so hard to forget about Bella dancing and being with James, but that was the only thing running through my mind, over and over again as if on a loop. The image of his lips on hers, them holding hands, them dancing together, my mind was relentless coming up with unknown images of what Bella could have been doing with James while I was gone. Finally needing not to be alone I made my way down the back stairs and into the kitchen where there were people from my class. I began to talk to them in hopes that it would clear my mind but there was nothing that would work. Suddenly someone covered my eyes with their hand.

"Guess who?" Lauren asked in what I'm guessing was supposed to be in a seductive voice, but sounded more like that of a dying cat.

"Look Lauren," I sighed as I she smiled up at me sadly.

"You look like you need some distracting, do you want to dance?" she asked sweetly. I nearly froze, Lauren didn't do sweet, she did conniving, yet her she was, actually looking sincere, trying to make me feel better. I looked at her for a moment longer before nodding, we walked out into the living room and onto the dance floor. She pressed herself against me and we began to dance. I kept my hands safely on her hips, not wanting to give her the wrong impression. After a few minutes she wrapped an arm around my neck and rested her head on my shoulder. I was beginning to feel a little weird dancing with her, but I blew off the feeling and continued dancing until I heard Jasper call out Bella's name on the stairs. I looked up to see Bella's legs disappear upstairs and Jasper looking at me disappointedly before continuing down the stairs. I excused myself from Lauren's grasp, and ran up the stairs.

I tried Alice's room first, knowing that Bella wouldn't want to be anywhere near anything that had to do with me. I opened the door, and sure enough, Bella was there on the bed, head in her hands,

"Not now Alice, please." She said, her voice crackling from the tears, she must have seen everything.

"I'm not Alice." I said softly, her head popped up, her face was red from crying, her make up was smeared, and it was all my fault. The guilt slowly over rode the anger at her and James, I took a few steps toward her,

"Bella-" I began but she cut me off, standing up and wiping her face.

"Whatever Edward, it's fine, could you please go?" She asked as she walked into Alice's bathroom, I was walking behind her but she slammed the door in my face. I hurt her, the one person I never wanted to, and for what? This was James's fault and I had taken it out on her. I heard the faucet running beyond the door, and I sank down against the door, I wasn't going anywhere. The faucet turned off five minutes later and I stood up waiting for her to come out. When she did, she was surprised to see me, as if she thought I wouldn't wait for her. She tried to push past me, but I took her arm, she yanked out of my grasp, but I just reached out and grabbed her waist in my arms. She tried to get me off,

"No, Edward. Stop! Don't you get it? It hurt." My heart ripped at that and my arms dropped at the pain I had heard in her voice, I'd never meant that,

"I was looking for you so I could apologize and explain that I had danced with James _after_ he apologized, and sure, maybe I'm over reacting about this because you probably think I was doing the same thing with James that you were doing with Lauren, but I wasn't, _we_ kept our hands to ourselves, _I _wasn't draped all over him. You got your perfect revenge Edward, with the one girl in the town who-" I cut her off by pulling her into me and kissing her with as much love and affection that I could put in a kiss.

"Please Bella, I never meant to hurt you. Please?" I said, with as much sincerity as I could muster, praying she would believe me.

**BPOV**

"Please Bella. I never meant to hurt you. Please?" He said and I could see the hurt and fear of rejection in his eyes, so I responded in the only way that I knew would fully convince him. I kissed him back the same way he kissed me. It deepened into one of pure lust after a little while and Edward walked us to the bed, spinning so I was on the bottom as he lay on top of me, in between my legs. His hand went to my bare calf, and traced a path up to my knee, which he hitched on his waist. I wrapped my ankle around his thigh. His hands went to my hips, taking my dress with them, and pressed me into the bed. His lips let go of mine but they never left my skin. He kissed and sucked his way down my neck, then he used his tongue to trace lightly across my exposed collar bone,

"Uhhh." I said breathily. To this he bit down,

"Edward." He chuckled at this, and began to use his tongue to swirl his way to the center of my chest, where he kissed his way down my dress, lower and lower. By the time he reached my belly button, which was now bare, my hands were clenching the bedspread above my head, and I had lost control over my body which was aching for release.

"Ahhh...oh god...Edward!" I said as his tongue dipped into my belly button. My legs were now wrapped around his back, my ankles twisted together against his lower back, my thighs squeezed against his sides as I tried to rub them together to feel just a little bit of friction to relieve the dull throbbing,

"Bella do you need help with something?" Edward asked seductively looking up at me, I nodded.

"What Bella? What do you need help with?" He asked smiling, he wanted to hear me say it. He bit down on the skin of my thigh, hard, I all but screamed.

"Please, you need to, oh, God." I couldn't finish telling him because he had decided to take upon himself to make me ache even more by licking nimbly along my panty line from one side of my hip to the other.

"Oh please, do something, please." I whimpered and he smiled evilly,

"As you wish." He said and he climbed back so he was fully on top of me, his lips latched on mine forcefully, and I let out a moan. I was still aching,

"Edward." I whimpered, he smiled against my lips, then I felt his finger enter me. I let out a cry of pleasure,

"Oh God, Edward!" He smiled and his finger began to thrust into me as far as it could go.

"Is this what you wanted?" He whispered, I nodded, which was about the only thing I could do.

"How about this?" He asked as he shoved another finger in me, I let out a whimper as my eyes drifted close and my fingers held onto the fabric for dear life, I felt something build up inside of me and it felt so amazing, it felt like I was being wound up tightly and oh how I wished for it to release.

"Bella," Edward said deeply, "Open your eyes." He instructed, I did as he said and as our eyes met, he thrust a third and final finger in me. I let out a scream as I rode out the waves of pleasure emanating from my body. I couldn't move, I just wanted to lay there, his fingers still inside of me. I slowly drifted back down into myself and was able to move. I slowly pried my fingers off of Alice's bedspread and brought them to my sides, I was trying to catch my breath. His head was resting on my chest, then someone knocked on the door,

"Edward, Bella it's time for the cake." Jasper said through the door.

"Yep." Edward shouted back. He let out a groan.

"I don't want to go anywhere." He said, not moving.

"Neither do I." I said, my fingers moving to play with his hair,

"And I'm pretty sure I couldn't go anywhere if I wanted to, my legs were numb." I said, and Edward chuckled.

"I'm glad I could help aid in that matter." He said, and we laid in silence for five minutes before we heard a thundering pair of footsteps on the stairs, even above the blasting music. Edward retracted his fingers from me, I whimpered once again at the loss, he smiled at me before sitting up so he was facing the door and covering me completely. The door burst open, Alice came barging in, I sat up slowly, Edward was still sitting between my legs so I leaned against his back.

"Yes Alice?" Edward asked, and I could tell he was smiling, as was I, I doubt it was voluntary though.

"You two need to get downstairs, we want to do cake now." Alice said hands on her hips, she seemed to be trying to scold us, but couldn't at the sight of us.

"Yes Alice." Edward said, and he took my hand and carefully maneuvered us so I was fully situated before we stood up, and walked for the door.

"Bella, you're a mess, come on." Alice said taking my hand.

"But-" I started and Edward tightened his grip on me.

"No buts, Bella you need fixing up now, Edward you can go downstairs, and tell Jasper not to start until I come down." Edward didn't budge,

"Or I could always make Bella stay in here tonight for an all nighter movie marathon with Rosalie and I." Alice threatened innocently, and we both knew she was not only capable of doing this, but she was also merciless, so we reluctantly obliged and Edward went downstairs while Alice led me to the bathroom. She had a big grin on her face as she began to fix up my eyeshadow.

"So how was it?" She asked excitedly.

"Alice!" I squealed, blushing.

"What?" She asked dragging out the 'A'.

"He's your brother." I said stating the obvious.

"First off, my mind didn't go there you perv, and two, _technically_ he isn't." She said with a tinkling laugh. I couldn't help but laugh along with her. She quickly finished up my makeup, and we exited the bathroom to grab my shoes before heading downstairs. Edward was waiting for me at the bottom so we could get in that dance we had been denied so many times this evening. He swooped me up in his arms and didn't set me down until we had reached the dance floor. It was a slow song, I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head on his chest as his arms wrapped around my waist, holding me close as we swayed to the music.

Of course halfway through the music stopped and everyone started singing Happy Birthday, cutting our dance short. Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie wheeled out a massive sheet cake that had black and white weaved icing on it and eighteen candles. The message on top was simple but still very sweet, it said, "Happy Birthday, Edward. Love, Us". Everyone knew who the 'us' was, I couldn't help but laugh. Edward took me by the hand over to the cake and he blew out the candles still holding my hand, everyone cheered and pieces of cake began to find their way to people around the party.

The music picked back up and after our slices of cake, Edward and I went back to the dance floor to dance for the rest of the night. One by one people began to leave, Edward thanked them for his gifts and for coming to celebrate his party. Once everyone was gone he ran his hand through his hair and let out a sigh as he shut the door.

"Thank God." He said turning to me, loosening his tie. I laughed and walked over to him, giving him a hug and a small kiss. He smiled against my lips then tilted his head to upstairs suggestively, I was about to nod when Alice ran up to us and dragged us to the middle of the deserted dance floor, where Rosalie was sitting in Emmett's lap, playing absentmindedly with his fingers and Jasper was sitting legs stretched out in front of him. Esme and Carlisle were also there, she was curled up in Carlisle's arms and sitting between his outstretched legs. Alice instructed us to sit down with everyone, Jasper got up and followed Alice. Edward sat down and I laid down next to him on my stomach, my head resting on my elbows, which were propped up on the floor.

"Present time!" Alice called Jasper was behind her lugging a large table cloth that had been folded into a sack, and he placed it in front of Edward. Edward groaned as he looked at the heap of things set in front of him. Jasper sat back down and Alice sat next to him, he put an arm around her. She was holding a pad with a pen at the ready.

"Okay, here goes nothing." He said picking up the first present, causing us all to laugh. It was fun to see who each present was from, it made it easy to see who knew him well and who didn't know him at all. One person gave him a director's cut of his favorite movie, while another person got him a body wash kit.

"Is that person trying to tell you something?" Emmett asked gesturing to the soap kit. We all laughed at that. Finally, after about and hour and a half, we were almost done. The only people yet to give their gifts were Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Carlisle and Esme, and lastly, me.

**Hope you liked it! If so, REVIEW!! you guys have been so amazing lately, and I am still dedicating chapters, but only to reviews that go above and beyond the call of duty. And don't forget, I check the reviews two days from now(sunday night), so it is then that I will either do a special treat, or a sooner update, if it is a sooner update, i'll update either monday or tuesday! So REVIEW!!!**

**Special treat: 391 reviews (total)**

**Sooner update: 401 reviews (total)**

**Next update: December 26, 2008 (HAPPY HOLIDAYS to everyone who celebrates them! to those who don't enjoy your winter vacation!)**


	23. Father's Time

**Hey Everyone! It's like 5:30 and I kinda haven't slept yet so I figured I'd post, hence the shortness!!!! there is a review i this last bunch that merrits a ch. dedication! this one goes to ****anne kingsmill**** (Thanks! it was really sweet!!!)**

**xOxO, devineROSE**

**I don't own twilight, just a lopsided xmas tree!**

Jasper went first, handing Edward an envelope. He pulled it out and opened the card, two tickets fell out. Edward picked them up but didn't read them, instead read the card first. He began to laugh as he read the card, Jasper smiled knowingly. When Edward finished, he looked down at the tickets in his hand, his head immediately popped up to stare at Jasper, his mouth slightly hanging open.

"How did you, but I thought, these were supposed to be-" Edward trailed off when he realized he was incapable of forming a full sentence. Jasper just laughed at him,

"Strings pulled here and there. Let's just say, I'm special."

"Jasper, thank you so much! I can't believe you got these." Edward said sincerely

"Mind letting us in on this Eddie boy." Emmett asked as Edward cringed at the use of his nickname.

"Jasper got me tickets to a Classical Concert in New York that I had wanted to go to but it had been sold out." Edward explained.

"Wait the Debussy concert?" Esme asked surprised.

"Isn't he dead?" Emmett asked surprised.

"Of course he is." Rosalie said as if Emmett were crazy. He didn't seem to mind though, he just smiled.

"The concert is his music, played and interpreted by other people." Edward explained.

"Sounds like fun, now open my gift." Rosalie said handing Edward a flat square present. He unwrapped it cautiously, so as not to break the present. Inside was a twelve inch record inside an unmarked case. Edward looked at it puzzled, before Rosalie began to explain.

"Esme gave me the CD you gave her last christmas of you playing, and I had it put on a record for your collection." She said with a smile.

"Rosalie, that's amazing, thank you." Edward said sincerely, setting the record gently with the tickets from Jasper, before Emmett handed him a box. Edward opened it, inside was a slip of paper, Edward read it then looked up at Emmett, puzzled and suspicious,

"Why did my car need fixing?"

"Umm, well-" Emmett began sputtering.

"My turn!" Alice said clapping her hands together in excitement. She reached behind her, pulled out a smallish present, and handed it to him. He opened it carefully, inside was a leather bound copy of a book, however the cover was title-less. Edward opened it carefully, the pages inside the binding were yellow and worn, the book was clearly very old.

"Romeo and Juliet, printed in 1918. I saw it in the antique books store and I just had to get it." Alice explained, Edward smiled and gingerly flipped through the book.

"Thank you, Alice." Edward said looking up at her. She nodded.

"Ok, our turn." Esme said with a wide smile, she looked up to Carlisle.

"Why don't you check the garage." Carlisle said, also smiling.

"No way." Edward said with a giant smile, Carlisle just shrugged innocently. I looked to Alice, who, like me, already knew what was waiting in the garage, we smiled at each other, while Edward sat dumbfounded.

"Um, don't mean to be rude here, but uh, why are we all sitting here?" Emmett asked, looking around the group. At that Edward got up, and led the way for the rest of us to the garage. Alice skipped ahead of Jasper and linked her arm through mine, and we giggled together. Edward, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie looked at us suspiciously, we both held back our excitement. We finally arrived at the garage, Edward slowly opened the door, and clicked on the lights, he froze at the sight of the barren garage. There was nothing there, Alice and I could no longer hold in our laughter. We began to crack up, leaning on each other for support, trying not to fall over.

"I don't get it." Emmett said rubbing the back of his neck. Everyone else looked puzzled as well, makeing Alice and I laugh even harder as she reached for the garage door opener. After she hit the button, the door slowly began to raise, inches at a time. As it did Jasper and Emmett began to become even more excited as the door got higher, while Edward just stood there with a goofy grin. When it finally stopped the boys ran outside to examine Edward's present.

"Woah!" Emmett shouted.

"Damn Edward!" Jasper said patting Edward on the back. Edward's gaze was flickering from the Aston Martin Vanquish sitting in front of him with a red bow on the top, and Carlisle and Esme who were standing next to it. He walked right up to them and gave them each a hug,

"Thank you!" He said gratefully.

"Get in already!" Esme said pushing him towards the car, he grinned again as he got in.

"Hey Edward," Rosalie called standing in front of the car, "Want to pop the hood?" She asked.

"That's my woman." Emmett said proudly. Jasper pretended to gag, and Emmett socked him playfully in the shoulder.

"Wouldn't do it for anyone else Rosalie." Edward said with a smile as he complied. The hood opened, Rosalie leaned in, with a thoughtful look on her face as she examined the different parts.

"So what do you think Rosalie, can you do it?" Edward asked, getting out of the car. Carlisle, Esme, and I looked on puzzled.

"Sorry Edward," She said carefully shutting the hood. "No can do."

"What? You can't do it?" Edward asked shocked, even Emmett and Jasper looked on open mouthed.

"Woah there, I _can_, but there is no way I'm messing with that," Rosalie said pointing at the car,

"That car is a God send, and if I am even a little off, I shudder to think about what would happen. Your Volvo was a different matter, but this is an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. Sorry, Edward, but I can't risk it." She said shrugging her shoulders.

"Plus, I'm sure it will go fast enough as it is."

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen! Don't you go asking Rosalie to tweak that car just so you can go faster! Just because we got you this car doesn't mean you can ignore the speed limit." Esme said pointing her finger at him, he smiled sheepishly, Carlisle laughed.

"Alright, I think it's time to turn in for the night everyone, I'm sure you're all very tired." Carlisle said.

"Edward, I'm sure you can handle putting this in the garage?" Carlisle asked handing Edward the keys. He took them eagerly, and got in, starting the car. Everyone watched him pulled the car into the garage they way one might watch a monkey typing full sentences on a keyboard. Our rapture was rather humorous. Finally, he turned the car off and we all went inside.

_____________________________

"Did you know?" Edward asked as we walked up to Alice's room together hand in hand.

"Yes, I did." I said with a smile, he sighed and shook his head.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me.

"You wouldn't have wanted that." I said kissing his cheek. I leaned back against the wall next to Alice's room.

"Yeah you're probably right." He said as he stood in front of me, placing a hand on either side of my shoulder.

"But it would have helped the utter disappointment I felt when I flipped on the light in the garage and found nothing." He said looking down at me.

"Yeah, but that added to the fun." He laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Maybe for you." He said, then looked down the hall before looking back to me, "You coming up tonight." He asked, kissing my forehead. I smiled up at him.

"Of course, I just have to get ready and grab your present." I explained, he groaned.

"Bella, I didn't want you to buy me anything." He said

"Good, because I didn't." I said with a smile as I kissed him lightly on the lips before slipping into Alice's room. I heard him chuckle on the other side of the door as he walked off to his room.

Alice was in her bathroom while Rosalie was lounging on her bed with a magazine.

"Hi." I said to Rosalie, she acknowledged my presence with a smile,

"Alice, she's here." She called to the pixie in the bathroom, at this I felt a shiver of fear. They were planning something. Alice stepped out of the bathroom with a sly smile.

"Bella, I hope you don't mind, I made a minor adjustment to your pjs this evening."

Yep, they were planning, something,

"Oh calm down, Bella. It's not that bad, go take a look for yourself."

When I saw what they had left out for me I let out a breath I hadn't even known I was holding. I washed my face, and turned to face my pjs. There was an oversized red and black flannel button up, with a pair of short black drawstring shorts. I put on the shorts, then the shirt, which I had to roll the sleeves up to my elbows in order to use my hands. The shorts, were barely visible, although, thats not saying much, if they had been one more inch shorter, they could qualify for underwear. I exited the bathroom pulling my hair up into a ponytail as I went. Alice and Rosalie were sitting on Alice's bed watching Clueless. Alice grinned at my outfit, nudging Rosalie, whose lips turned up just a touch.

"Perfect, simple, yet hot!" Alice said, jumping down from the bed. She immediately began tugging on the shirt, she undid the top two buttons, so it was open until the middle of my chest. Then bottom two, keeping it closed to just above my shorts, leaving only three in the middle still buttoned. Then she yanked my hair out of the ponytail, and ruffled it a little bit. Rosalie walked over and applied a touch lip gloss and mascara,

"Are you two trying to pimp me out to your brother?" I asked as Alice rummaged through her drawer.

"Never." Rosalie said with a laugh and a fake appalled look, Alice walked back over to us carrying my present for Edward.

"Now run along and play nice, Belle Watling!" She said shooing me out the door. I couldn't help but laugh as I climbed up the stairs to Edward's room. I knocked on the door,

"Come in." I heard him call from inside. I entered the room, the lights were out, but it was so bright due to the full moon streaming through the glass wall. Edward was sitting on his black couch, waiting for me.

"Hi." I said softly as I went over and straddled his lap, placing his present on the cushion next to him.

"Hi." He said back, he put his hands on my hips, under my shirt, drawing me in closer to him as his lips met mine. His hand began to drift slowly upwards.

"Edward, you have to open your present!" I protested meekly.

"This is fine with me." He said and his hand continued to creep up towards my chest, I nearly caved, but,

"Please." I begged looking at him with the best puppy dog face I could muster. He laughed then retracted his hand.

"Alright, alright." I reluctantly went to move, but his hands locked on my waist.

"No, stay. Just hand me the present." I reached over to grab his present.

"It's ticking." He said as he pulled the box I handed him closer to his ear.

"Yeah. I know, if it weren't I'd be worried." I said as he began to unwrap the present. He opened the box and stared at what lay inside. He wasn't moving, I don't think he was breathing.

"Edward." I asked trying to get him to say something.

"Bella, where did you get this?" He asked as he pulled the gold pocket watch out of the box by it's chain. The front the letters E and C were intertwined and there was an intricate pattern covering the entire watch. He pressed the button to open it, the clock continued it's ticking noise as the second hand moved around it's little circle. When I had found it in the attic this morning with Esme, it was covered in grime, she explained to me that it was an heirloom passed down in Edward's family from father to son. It was one of the possessions he was left with. In the back was a picture of Edward as a child in his mother's arms. Esme told me if I cleaned it up, it would have been the perfect present for him. So I did, only, he had yet to say anything since I had presented it to him.

"It was in the attic, but it was covered in dirt and dust, so as your present I cleaned it up for you, Esme said it belonged to your father." He nodded in agreement, but he still said nothing. He opened it up to the picture of him and his mother and froze. He just stared at it, not saying anything.

"Edward, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done this, I-" I said, beginning to rambled. He cut me off, pressing a finger to my lips.

"Bella, it's perfect. Thank you so much." He then kissed me. It was sweet and simple, filled with love and affection.

"Edward, I never meant to upset you." I said when we pulled apart. I leaned my forehead against his.

"You didn't Bella, I honestly love my gift. Now, it's time to get some sleep, okay?" He asked, I nodded. Edward swooped me up and placed me in his bed, under the covers. He climbed in next to me, pulling me into his chest, before I closed my eyes and let myself drift into unconsciousness.

_________________________________________________________

When I was shaken awake it was still dark out. I groggily looked up to see Edward, his eyes were filled with hurt and pain. All thoughts of sleep vanished, I propped myself up on my elbows,

"Edward, what's wrong?" I asked worried.

"Bella, I-I" He couldn't finish for some reason, he couldn't even look at me, he just stared over my shoulder. I placed my hand on his cheek gently, his eyes squeezed tight as he pressed his cheek into my hand and kissed the bottom of my palm.

"Bella, at the beginning of the summer, I lied to you." He said, finally opening his eyes.

"Oh." I said surprised, and a little saddened. His eyes went wide, he grasped my hand in both of his.

"No, Bella, no! I lied to you about, about-" He let out an exasperated sigh as he pressed my hand to his lips.

"Edward, you can talk to me, that's why I'm here." I said sincerely.

"I remember it all."

"What?" I asked confused.

"I remember everything about my parents." He said, and I couldn't help the little gasp that slipped from my lips.

**Sorry for the cliffy but I felt it nesseccary!!!! I hope you enjoyed this one! Keep up the reviews!**

**Special Treat: 413 reviews (total)**

**Sooner Update: 423 reviews (total)**

**Next Update: December 29, 2008**


	24. Memories

**Hey everyone!!! Happy holidays!!! This chapter is dedicated to ****Creative.****, I also hate the grammar that is not of the good and a xcess of tyops! hahaha anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

**xoxo, devineROSE**

"Edward, why-" I began to ask him why he lied, but he cut me off.

"Bella, I couldn't. No one else knows about it, not Alice, not Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, and especially not Esme." He said seriously.

"But, why?" I asked.

"It made things easier, Esme didn't worry as much, neither did anyone else, I had a feeling Alice knew, but after a while, she stopped asking. When I was little, I was scared that they would give me up to the social worker if they thought something was wrong with me, so I kept everything bottled up." He sat up then, loosely hugging his knees, he stared at the wall as he continued talking.

"When we moved up here, I took everything my parents gave me, and put it up in the attic, thinking, 'out of sight, out of mind' and it worked. That is, unless I saw something, that reminded me of them, when I do, it hurts so much, and I can't understand why. Bella, what you must know is that I love Carlisle and Esme, and it's been so long since I've seen my real parents, that if given a choice, I would still choose Esme and Carlisle over them, but it doesn't make thinking about my parents hurt any less." He finished. I sat up slowly, fearful that any quick motions would break him. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him as hard as I could,

"Edward, what happened to them?" I whispered carefully. His eyes went wide as he looked down at me. After a few moments he sighed, closing his eyes. When he opened them he began,

"It's was a Friday, I came home from school, and I was sitting at the kitchen table with my Dad as my Mom made dinner. He was teaching me how to play poker, there were pennies, nickels, and dimes, scattered across the table as we counted them for our poker chips. Once we started playing, I remember putting down my hand assuming I had won, because I had all clubs. I jumped up and down and bragged, telling him I had won. I ran up to my mom and hugged her. She smiled down and me and ruffled my hair in congratulations. My father looked down at my hand began laughing, apparently, I had all clubs, yes, but I had a queen, a seven, a two, a ten, and a four," He said with a smile, but it was distracted and pained, I knew what was coming,

"Well anyway, he began laughing, then he started coughing, and coughing, oh the blood, it got everywhere. All over the table, the coins, and the cards. I remember my mother screamed, she told me to call 911 as she ran to him. But I couldn't move, I was frozen, just watching my Dad cough and sputter up more blood, as my mom begged for him to stop coughing, and not to do this to her, to us. When my mother realized I wasn't moving she shrieked my name. I jumped up and ran to the phone, I could barely get out our address when the operator asked for it. Everything after that flashed by, my mother rushing me over to the neighbors, watching through the window as the EMTs loaded my father onto the ambulance, watching my mother wave goodbye to me. He died a week and a half later. I had only got to see him once, the rest of the time I stayed at our neighbors. I remembered holding my mom's hand at the funeral and realizing, that I was now the man in the family. I was only six years old. Afterwards, I spent most of my time at the neighbors, Mom had never wanted me to see her so broken. It was as if someone had ripped her heart out and stomped on it. She only lasted six months after he died, and I was forced to attend another funeral, where I realized, I had no one left." He finished quietly. I felt a tear slip down my cheek, I pressed a soft kiss to his bare shoulder.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered. "What happened to you?" I asked in the same hushed tone.

"Social workers tried to take me away to an adoption agency, but the neighbors refused to let me go, so they adopted me, and here I am." He said looking down at me.

"Wait, Carlisle and Esme were your neighbors?" I asked surprised, he nodded. I saw the pain in his eyes and I felt my heart snap, everything inside me ached for him, but I also saw a hint of relief. His pain was alleviated by talking it through, by accepting it instead of hiding it away and burying it.

"Edward don't you see," I pleaded, placing a hand on his cheek,

"It's because you keep everything bottled up that it hurts so much when you see something that reminds you of them. You can't do that, you're putting yourself through unnecessary pain."

"But Bella-" He began but I cut him off taking his hand in mine and pulling him off the bed.

"Come on." I said pulling him to the door.

"Where are we going?" He asked as we walked out into the hall.

"Just come on." We walked hand in hand to the attic door, when he stopped me, pulling me around to face him.

"No Bella-" He began.

"Edward it hurts because you've kept it buried under all these layers. I have a feeling if you just go up there," I said turning around and opening the attic door.

"It will make everything hurt less." I stood beside the door waiting for him to go in. He just stood there staring at the stairs with a look of pain and fear.

"Edward?" I asked tentatively. He nodded, and stepped forward. He climbed the stairs and I began to walk back to his room, figuring he'd want to be alone.

"Um, bella?" Edward called, I turned back so I was facing him.

"Yeah?"

"Will you, um, will you come with me?" He asked nervously, I smiled and nodded before walking over to him and taking the hand he was holding out for me. He led the way up into the dusty attic.

The boxes were all in the same place, I led Edward over to the one with his name on it. He pulled it out as I sat down against the wall. He set the box on the floor in front of me then sat next to me. We sat for a moment staring at it, I looked to see his hand was shaking a little bit, I took it in mine.

"Ready?" I asked. He nodded, then leaned forward opening the box. It was filled, as it had been this morning. There was a deck of playing card, five photo albums, a stack of old books, a square silver jewelry box, multiple loose papers and letters, a pair of tiny blues booties, and a rattle. He began to take things out one by one, explaining what everything meant.

"This was my very first deck of playing cards. Every Friday when I got home from school Dad and I would play after he got off of work." He was smiling as his thumb ran over the box in his hands, before he placed it to the side of his box of belongings. Next to come out were the photo albums, we flipped through everyone. They were organized by year, I laughed at the ones of him as a baby running around the house in nothing but a pair of underwear, which happened to be placed on his head.

"Hey, I was three, give me a break." He said with a smile as we continued to look through the book. We stopped at a picture of his mother. She was standing next to a Christmas tree, hanging an ornament.

"She's beautiful." I said softly, he smiled down at me. We managed to get through the albums rather quickly, they were filled with pictures of birthdays, family outings, holidays, and monumental events. After we were done, he pulled out the rattle and booties.

"These were mine." He said with a soft chuckle. He wiggled his finger through a hole in the toe of the booties.

"They were apparently my favorite, my mom showed them to me once, when I was older." He said setting them to the side, but not before giving the rattle a shake. Next to examine was the silver jewelry box. Edward opened it slowly. The top was a mirror, and the bed of it was separated into different sections. There was one for rings, one for earrings, and one for bracelets. There was a compartment beneath it that slid out for necklaces. Each part was filled with shimmering pieces of jewelry. Edward slid each one out and explained the significance of each piece. First anniversary, wedding present, 10th anniversary, and the like. One piece caught my attention more than anything, it was a small gold locket, I pulled it out. 'Elizabeth Masen', was engraved on the front, and on the back it read, 'Loving Wife and Mother', I opened it. Inside was a picture of Edward's father on one side, and a picture of Edward as a child on the other. I felt Edward peer over my shoulder at it before letting out a quite laugh.

"I picked that out when I was five for my Mom's birthday. She had loved it more than anything, wore it all the time." He said with a smile.

"It's beautiful." I said placing it back in it's proper place.

______________________________________________

I let out an involuntary yawn as Edward began to look through the papers at the bottom of the box, which caused him to look up.

"Bella, go back down and get some rest. I'll be fine." He said concernedly.

"No, I'm good." I protested.

"Come here, lay down." He said putting his legs out in front of him and shifting me so I was lying down with my head placed comfortably in his lap.

"Just for a few minutes." I said, as my eyelids gently shut. He laughed at me for a moment before leaning down to kiss my cheek.

"Thank you, Bella." He whispered before I drifted off into oblivion.

**hope y'alls liked it! I know its wicked short, but I thought this part of the story should have a chapter just for it! IMPORTANT PLEASE READ - Just a heads up, I will be going away on monday morning, and not returning till next sunday, which means if you want an update before then you'll need to reach the review number before saturday!! **

**Special treat: 437 reviews(total)**

**Sooner update: 447 reviews(total)**

**Next update: January 4, 2008**


	25. Blood and Emeralds

**Hey everyone, no exciting author's not this time, but I do want to say thank you all for the amazing reviews I really appreciate all of them! This chapter dedication goes to ****Creative.**** because well her review was hilarious and amazing, my brother tends to pms too, so I totally understand! anyway, back to the story!**

**xoxo, DeViNeRoSe**

**I OWN NONE OF THE CHARACTERS**

When I woke up I found myself curled in Edward's arms under the covers of his bed. I leaned into him, resting my head on his chest so I could hear his heart. It drummed out a steady beat, as if it hadn't been hurt at all last night. It's funny how, even if your heart gets ripped into little pieces, it goes on beating. Although on some level it must not work. Edward's mother had died of a heart attack, but the way he described it, it sounded like she died of a broken heart more than anything.

There was a knock on the door before Alice walked in. She crossed to my side of the bed and sat down. I turned in Edward's arms to face her.

"Hey, we're going to the beach when he gets up." She said gesturing to Edward's sleeping form.

"But Alice, I don't have a suit." I said, sleep still evident in my voice.

"I know, we have one for you." She said getting up and leaving with a wink. I let out a groan, as Alice shut the door. I rolled back into Edward with no intention of getting up. Ten minutes later Alice came barging back in.

"Some time today, Bella! If I come back up here in fifteen minutes, and you are still in this bed, well lets just say, your bathing suit may be subject to change." She said before slamming the door shut. I shuddered as I thought about what Alice would do. Edward was still sleeping as I tried to wriggle my way out of his arms without waking him up. However every time I got close to getting out, his brow would pucker and he'd tighten his grasp. Finally I gave up with a heavy sigh, at this I heard him chuckle. I looked up to see a smile disappear from his face, even though his eyes were still closed.

"Edward Cullen, are you awake?!" He laughed and opened his eyes, looking down at me. I smacked his chest lightly,

"You're terrible." I said rolling my eyes.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help it." He said still chuckling.

"You were willing to subject me to Alice's torture because you, 'couldn't help it'?" I asked

"Sorry?" He offered with a charismatic smile.

"Nice try." I said as I wormed out of his grasp and got out of bed.

"Bella." He drawled as I walked to his bathroom shutting the door behind me. I brushed my teeth using his toothbrush, went to the bathroom, and fixed my hair.

"That was not very nice, Bella." He said before he put his hands on my hips and guided me back into the bathroom forcibly. My lower back hit the sink and Edward's lips were on mine, causing me to let out a groan. I pushed my body into his as his tongue entered my mouth, he growled and he lifted me onto the sink. Our tongues danced together in perfect harmony, and I felt his hands slip up the back of my shirt to my lower back. The cold of his hands mixed with the heat emanating from my body made me moan against his mouth. His hands pushed my waist into his creating a friction that we both needed, and that was even more heightened due to the thin materials of our clothes. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer to me, his hips bucked into mine causing us to moan together. I pulled my lips away from his and began to kiss my way down his neck, I sucked the skin at the bottom, tasting the salt of his skin,

"Bella." He breathed against my hair. My legs detached from his hips and I got off the sink counter, making sure to slid down his body as I did, he groaned. My lips still attached to his skin, I pushed him backwards until his back was against the wall. I pressed my body hard against his. My mouth returned to his chest, my tongue snaked out and licked a ring around his nipple before I bit down on it gently.

"Ungh." He let out, I looked up at him through my lashes innocently knowing the exact effect this would have on him, he looked down at me his eyes clouded over with lust.

He growled and spun me around, pulling me into him so my back was pressed against his chest. His hand pressed flat against my body as it moved from my shoulder slowly downwards. It pressed hard against my breast causing me to moan his name, before it continued downward. His lips latched onto my neck and he began to suck and bite in the most pleasurable manor. Edward's hand was flat against my stomach now, his palm kneading my belly, and was about to continue downwards, I felt lost in the ecstasy.

"Isabella Swan! Where are you?" I heard Alice call from downstairs,

"Maybe she'll go away." Edward grumbled into my neck, I nodded, unable to do much else.

"Bella, if you don't get down here!" She shouted threateningly, that shook me out of my stupor.

"Oh no." I groaned, "She's going to kill me."

"Hold on, I have a plan." He said, pushing me up slightly and walking to the shower.

"Get in." He said turning on the water.

"What?" I asked, Edward laughed,

"Just get in, trust me." He said, I hesitated until I heard Alice's feet on the stairs.

"Okay, fine, but close your eyes." I said blushing slightly as he turned around with a smile. I stripped and jumped into the water just as Alice barged through Edward's bedroom door and banged on the bathroom door. I heard Edward open it and I stuck my head out from behind the curtain.

"Yes, Alice?" I asked innocently. She stared at me with suspicious eyes,

"Just hurry up." She said before walking out in a huff. Edward and I laughed as we heard his bedroom door close. Edward was still laughing as he returned to the sink to grab his toothbrush.

"Um, Edward, what are you doing?" I asked as he began putting toothpaste on his toothbrush.

"Brushing my teeth." He said innocently.

"But Edward, I'm kind of showering, right now." I said, blushing even harder.

"I know." He said with his crooked smile and began rushing his teeth. I shut the shower curtain and proceeded to shower trying to ignore his distracting presence.

"Could you hand me a towel please?" I asked Edward as I shut off the water. There was no answer. I peeked out, he was no longer in the bathroom, and the door was shut.

"Edward?" I called out, still no answer. He was obviously no where near by. I got out of the shower, looked around in the closet and found a large fluffy towel that I wrapped around myself. There must have been a patch of water on the floor, as I went to leave the bathroom. All of a sudden my feet slipped out from under me, I let out a scream of surprise, and I felt my head smash against the side of the tub. I sat up, grabbing the corner of the sink to try and hoist myself up slowly, despite the throbbing in my head, but due to the clumsy nature of myself, my hand slipped and I landed once again on my butt. Only this time it was accompanied by a stinging in my hand, as I looked down, I saw a gash across my hand and blood gushing from it since my hand had been wet to begin with, hence the slipping on the sink. The nauseating, rusty smell of the blood mixed with the knock my head had taken against the tub made my head spin.

"Oh crap." Was all I could get out before the lights went out.

______________________________________________________________

"She's been up here forever." I heard Alice say from the other side of the bathroom door. I sat up slowly clutching my throbbing head.

"Uff." I groaned as Edward and Alice entered.

"Bella!" Edward said as he rushed to my side, lifting me up so I was leaning against him.

"What happened?" Alice asked.

"I got out of the shower, and I was looking for a towel, which I did find," I said pulling the towel closer around me.

"Then I turned to walk out and I slip, I hit my head on the tub. Then I tried to get up but I cut my hand, and I passed out" I said rubbing the sore spot on my head with my god hand. Edward moved it so he could examine my head further.

"Oh Bella, what are we going to do with you?" Edward said with a slight laugh, before turning to Alice,

"Alice, we should have Carlisle take a look at this. You get her dressed and I'll get Carlisle." He said seriously. Alice nodded and left the room. Edward cleaned up my hand with a towel and a large, square band-aid, then picked me up into his arms and carried me back into his room. He set me on the edge of the bed and kneeled in front of me, taking my face in his hands. He smiled up at me,

"Bella, Bella, Bella, I leave you alone for two seconds and you manage to literally knock yourself out." He said with a laugh.

"I told you I was clumsy." I said with a tired chuckle.

"Come on Bella, let's get some clothes on you." Alice said walking into Edward's room, folded clothes in hand.

"What do you need me to do?" Alice asked thoughtfully.

"Alice, I'm fine, honestly. Just a major headache. Would you mind just handing me the clothes as I need them?" I asked as Edward kissed me on my forehead and went to get Carlisle.

"Sure." Alice said and she handed me my outfit piece by piece. Underwear, denim shorts, and a plain tee shirt.

"Thanks Alice." I said once we finished.

"No problem, I figured you might want to keep it simple, so I brought your own clothes. But don't get used to it." She said seriously. Carlisle knocked on the door at that moment and came in with Edward.

"Hello Bella, how's your head?" Carlisle asked with a smile.

"Hurts." I said simply.

"What happened?" He asked walking over to check my head.

"I slipped and hit my head on the tub, but when I tried to get up I cut my hand. Blood makes me really sick and I guess that plus hitting my head made me pass out." I explained, as Carlisle began to tenderly poke the area around my head. I winced slightly at the pain and Edward came and sat next to me taking my hand in his.

"Alright Bella, I want you to follow my finger with your eyes." Carlisle instructed as he turned on a small flash light carefully in my eyes and moved his finger back and forth. I followed it easily with my eyes. After a few more test Carlisle deemed me safe,

"She seems to have only grazed the side of her head when she fell, and it was more the blood that did her in." Carlisle explained to Edward who was looking skeptical of his diagnosis.

"So can we go to the beach now?" Alice asked excitedly, Edward looked at her as if she had three heads and a horn. Carlisle just smiled, understanding that this was just the way his daughter thought things through.

"No, Alice, I don't think the beach would be the best idea. She should take it easy today, just in case."

"Well, what is she going to do at the beach other than lay down in the sand?" Alice asked.

"Actually, if it's okay I like to take Bella for a ride, nice and simple, to test out the car, plus there is somewhere I'd like to show her." Edward looking between Carlisle and me, brushing some hair behind my ear.

"I think that might be best." Carlisle said, Alice pouted a little, then nodded when she realized she wasn't going to get her way.

Everyone left for the beach after a while, including Esme and Carlisle, and Edward and I headed down to the garage after saying goodbye. He opened my door for me and helped me into my seat.

"Watch your head." He said with a teasing smile as I slid into the passenger seat. I stuck my tongue out at him childishly, he laughed and shut my door. He was still laughing as he got in and started the car.

________________________________________________________

Edward pulled over on a side road next to the woods in the middle of no where.

"Edward, where-"

"You'll see." He said getting out and walking to my side to let me out. He took my hand and led me into the woods.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked playfully, knowing the answer.

"Nope, you're just going to have to wait and see." He said with a smile.

"But we're almost there, see that clearing?" He asked pointing to something that I couldn't see.

"You and your 20/20, no I can't see it." To this he laughed and we continued our walking. After another five minuets, I finally saw what he had been talking about. There was a patch of light up ahead, Edward stopped walking and gestured for me to lead the way into the light. I did as he said, and came to a stand still at our destination.

"Edward this place is beautiful." I said breathlessly at the sight of the space before me. It was a meadow, but it was perfect circle, filled with bright green grass and wildflowers of every kind and color. I smiled as he took me by the hand and lead me to the middle of the meadow.

"Bella, I have something I want to give you." He said pulling me into his lap as he sat down. I laid my head back against his shoulder and rested my cheek against his neck.

"Edward, you didn't-" I began to protest.

"No, Bella, please. This is important and I want you to have it because, because. Well, to be blunt Bella, I want you to have it because I love you." He said seriously, and I felt my heart stop. I got off his lap and sat on the ground in front of him so I could see him.

"What did you say?" I asked, but my voice barely came out from the shock.

"I said I love you." He repeated watching me carefully from my reaction. As soon as what he said sunk in I smiled uncontrollably and I placed my shaking hand on his cheek.

"Edward, I love you too." I said sincerely, he let out a sigh of relief and smiled back.

"I got worried you didn't feel the same." He said with a relieved chuckle before pulling me into his arms and falling back into the grass, hugging me tight to his chest. We were both laughing, and kissing sporadically as we lay together in the grass, enjoying the bliss that came from confessed love.

"Bella, I have something I want to give you." Edward said after a while of just laying in the grass.

"What is it?" I asked.

"This." He said as he sat us up so that his legs were extended in front of him and I was kneeling between them. He reached in his pocket and pulled a small ring. It had a gold band with three shining emerald stones lined next to each other, they were the exact same color as Edward's eyes. A string of diamonds crossing between each of the stones, separating them.

"Edward, it's perfect, I love it." I said as my eyes teared up.

"It's a promise ring. It was my mother's, I found it upstairs last night with a note attached to it. My father gave it to her when he realized he couldn't be with anyone else but her, and now I want you to have it." He said holding it out to me. It caught in the sunlight and the Emeralds sparkled much like the way his eyes did. I felt my heart skip a beat as he slid it onto my ring finger on my right hand. Once it was on he kissed it before pulling me up and off my feet and spinning me around. I giggled into his neck as my bare feet flew through the air. I couldn't help but laugh as we fell back to the ground and just lay there looking up at the sky, hand in hand, watching the clouds roll by.

**Okay so as you know, i'm headed to the bahamas for the next week, so i won't be able to update, however I will be writing constantly, and I will be able to check, via my phone, my reviews, so please don't stop reviewing!!!!! And here is a pic of the ring! **.?tid=21847&cm_sp=&mcid=XSM01061045&s_kwcid=emerald%20rings|1981064886&Ntt=emerald%20rings&Nrecs=48&N=51%20&Nrppo=1&No=0&cm_re=Results*5*2&cm_pos=18&bca=JTH081E&ptid=7362&R=2686713

**If I happen to some how find a way to get internet;**

**Special treat: 461 reviews (total)**

**Sooner update: 471 reviews (total)**

**Next Update: January 4, 2009 (sry about the 2008 last time, habit!)**


	26. Speed

**Hey everyone! Sorry about the going away bit! This chapter is dedicated to ****greenbuttonsx****- because geordie accents are hilarious, no offense in anyway but i youtubed learn to speak with a geordie accent, and i was near in tears, which is why I am dedicating this chapter to you hope you enjoy!!!**

**xoxo, DevineRose**

**I own non of the recognizable characters!** **Enjoy!**

**(O and btw just a heads up there is a major lime. minor lemon in this chapter, i'll let you know when it comes up)**

"Why?" I asked as we lay next to each other, our backs in the grass.

"What?" Edward asked, turning his head to look at me.

"Why do you love me? I was just thinking about it, I know why I love you, but I just don't see how someone as perfect as you can love someone like me." I reasoned, and he began laughing.

"Bella, first of all, I'm not perfect, far from it, but I'm glad you think of me so. Secondly, I love you because you're you. You're beautiful, funny, sweet, you and I can actually hold a substantial conversation, plus you like my sister, but the real reason that I love you is because," He paused for a moment, unsure of something, he looked up at the sky as if ashamed, before continuing.

"When I'm around you, it's like I'm whole. I can't describe it because before you came, I didn't feel empty, but now I know, if you were to leave, you'd leave a gaping hole, and I can only attribute that feeling to love, that's why I love you Bella." He said, and he turned again to look at me. I felt tears prick at my eyes before one escaped of it's own accord and fell across my face. Edward rolled completely on his side and wiped it away concernedly.

"Bella, I didn't mean to upset you or freak you out." I couldn't help but smile at his worried expression.

"You didn't, far from that." I said pressing my lips onto his. He smiled.

"Say it again." I requested when we pulled apart.

"It again." He said with a smirk.

"Very funny." He was laughing as he rolled onto his back, pulling me on top of him. His laughter slowly dissipated and his face became serious. He took my face in his hands and placed a kiss on my forehead,

"I love you." He said softly, then kissed my cheek.

"I love you." He tilted my face so he could place his lips on my other cheek.

"I love you." Finally his lips reached mine, and less than an inch away, he whispered,

"I love you." Then his lips were on mine.

__________________________________________________________________

"Alright, do you trust me?" Edward asked looking over at me as I clutched the seat of his new car. We were currently rocketing across the pavement of an old abandoned airfield.

"Right now, I'm not sure." I said shakily as I watched the speedometer creep towards 100 mph. He let out a booming laugh,

"Bella, I would never let anything hurt you, not even me." He said looking at me sincerely.

"Edward Cullen, eyes on the road!" I squealed.

"Nope, not until you say you trust me." He said with a devilish smile, I felt my eyes go wide.

"Yeah, because this is really going to help the trust factor." I said sarcastically.

"All you have to do is say it." He was smiling my favorite crooked smile. I took a deep breath,

"I trust you." I said sincerely, because, in all honesty, I did trust him, more than anyone one else in the world. His eyes went back to the road in front of him and he was grinning stupidly.

"Give me your hand." He instructed, holding his hand out for me. I took it, squeezing my eyes shut, prepping myself for the inevitable. Only, instead of speeding up, I felt the car slow. I opened my eyes, to find Edward smiling at me and the car going 50 miles per hour.

"But I thought-"

"You trust me don't you?" He asked cutting me off, I nodded.

"That entails that you trust me not to do something you wouldn't want." He explained, then pulled the back of my hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss onto the skin. My heart swelled for the second time that day.

"Thank you." I said softly, then I took a deep breath, I trusted him never to put me in danger. He knew what he was doing, I hoped.

"Now, are you going to show me how fast we can go, or are we going to continue at this slow crawl?" I asked bravely. He looked at me shocked.

"No, Bella, we don't have to-" He began, but I stopped him.

"I want to."

"Bella, you don't have to do this for me." He insisted.

"Edward?" I asked seriously.

"Yes?"

"Shut up and drive." I said seriously with a smirk. Edward finally grinned, and squeezed my hand as he foot pressed down on the gas pedal. The car purred as it pounded on the asphalt. My heart was drumming in my chest as the outside flashed past us through my window. I tightened my grip on his hand and looked over at him. His face was shining with joy and I couldn't help but smile as the car reached 150. We drove at that speed for a few minutes before he slowed down, and then finally came to a stop. It felt like we were still moving even though the parking brake had been slid into place. Edward reached over and undid my seatbelt.

"You're shaking like a leaf." He said, brushing a piece of loose hair away from my face.

"Well, I'm not going to lie, that was slightly nerve racking." I said shakily with the best smile I could muster. I could feel my heart pounding in my throat, causing me to swallow harder than usual.

"That's it, no more speeding for you." He said teasingly, then he helped me out of my seat and into his lap, so my back was pressed against the steering wheel and my knees were on either side of his waist.

"Actually, I really liked it, it was just a little scary, feel my heart." I said, as I took his hand in mine and placed it flat against my chest. In doing so, the tips of his fingers brushed against the side of my breast. I let out an involuntary gasp and bit my lip. His eyes sparked, he took his finger and traced the under side of my breast, I let out a groan. One of his hands went around my waist and pulled me tight into his body, my lips locked onto his.

"Mmmh, Edward." I hummed against his lips. He smiled against mine, and he pulled back just enough so he could suck my bottom lip, knowing exactly what it would do to me. My hands went from his shoulders, to locking themselves in his hair while his hands squeezed my butt, pulling it closer so I rubbed against him. I could feel against my core his hardened length, but I needed more than that this time. I wanted to feel him, actually feel him against my skin.

**(here if you want, feel free to skip)**

My hand traveled down his chest to the button on his jeans. His hand immediately clasped onto mine, holding it in place. His lustful eyes met mine.

"Trust me." I whispered. He nodded and his hand dropped to the side. I continued to unbutton his jeans. I knew his eyes were on mine as I slowly undid the zipper, but I didn't look into them.

I pulled out his stiff length, at the sight of it, I let out a small gasp. I wasn't exactly the expert when it came to matters like these, but I had a feeing that Edward was by no means small of stature. I began to stroke him up and down slowly, it felt as if a piece of velvet had been draped over a steel rod.

"Ungh, Bella...that feels so...don't...stop." From his response I realized I was doing the right thing, I began to go faster adding more pressure as I rubbed up and down, eliciting more groans.

"Oh God...please...you're...ahh...Bella." His head leaned forward and rested on my shoulder. He continued to let out deep moans, the sound of it made my own insides stir. As I stroked him, I tried to rub my thighs together in order to create some sense of friction, but it didn't do much, I let out a small whimper. I felt Edward's hand trail up my thigh and his fingers slipped under my shorts. His fingers plunged deep inside of me as I kept up my stroking. We were both groaning now as we pleasured each other into the quickly approaching oblivion, I felt so close to the edge, and I felt he was nearly there as well.

"Edward, I'm-" I gasped out.

"Bella, cum with me." Edward whispered, and I did. I moaned out his name, and at the same time he moaned mine, as the sparks fluttered across my vision. My head flopped into his neck, neither of us wanting to move. Finally we separated, Edward reached in his glove compartment and found some tissues, we cleaned ourselves off and rearranged our clothes before settling into each other.

**(all done)**

"Bella, that was..." He said raggedly, unable to finish.

"Uh-hun." I finished for him, understanding that there were no words to describe how good that had felt. Awesome, stupefying, magnificent, something else, mind-blowing, real gone, striking, meritorious, those words didn't even come close to the way that had felt. We sat there for a while, when Edward's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and flipped it open,

"Yes Alice?" He said shortly, obviously annoyed she called. He was listening to what she was saying, so I went to crawl back into my seat. Edward's arm wrapped around my waist, holding me in place as he held up a finger, instructing me to wait. I leaned back against the steering wheel, resting my elbows on either side of it and looking up out the windshield.

I heard Edward groan slightly, my head snapped back up to look at him, his eyes were trained on my chest. Then he looked up at me, I felt myself blush slightly, he smiled and cupped a hand around the back of my neck. He sat up slightly and pressed his lips to mine, despite still being on the phone with Alice. I could hear her slightly due to my close proximity, when she stopped talking Edward leaned back so he could answer her.

"Blue." Was all he said, then he paused, listening for another moment before answering again.

"You'll have to ask her." He said looking at me,

"Fine, hold on." He said annoyed yet again, as he handed me the phone. I put it to my ear, Edward leaned forward and proceeded to attack my neck with his lips.

"Hi Ali-unghh." I said brokenly, my eyes drifting close at the feel of his lips.

"Bella, are you okay?" Alice asked concernedly.

"Uh-hun." I groaned as Edward began to suck the skin at the top of my neck, just below the corner of my jaw.

"Good, then you can tell my idiot brother of mine to stop pleasuring you into incoherency so I can talk to you, and that once I hang up he can continue?" Alice asked innocently, I could tell my cheeks were becoming even redder. I pushed Edward back slightly, he looked up at me disappointedly,

"Alice said to stop." I told him, he rolled his eyes, and leaned back against the seat, obediently resting his head back on the head rest with his eyes closed.

"Thank you Bella, now, back to business, we're all going out to dinner tonight, then out to Twilight, I got you something to wear, so don't worry, I just have to know if you can come." She said.

"Um, I have to double check with Charlie, but most likely." I told her.

"Alright, I talk to you later then. Tell Edward he can continue his administrations." She said chipperly before hanging up. I hit the end button before dialing the house number from Edward's phone. He sat inattentive as I placed the phone to my ear. It rang a couple of times before Charlie picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi Dad."

"Hey Bells, what's up?" He asked.

"Nothing really, it's just Alice invited me to go out with everyone tonight and I was wondering if it was okay with you if I go."

"What time will you get home?" Ah, the ever dutiful parent.

"I'm not sure, I have to double check with Alice first, but when we figure something out I'll call." I told him.

"Okay, that's fine, are you going to come home first?" He asked, it sounded like he was pleading.

"Do you need me to?" I asked surprised. His voice dropped conspiratorially as he answered,

"Yes, please, there is someone here to see you. I told him you were at Alice's, and would be home later, so he said he'd just wait. I told I'd have you call him, but he said it was extremely important. So I told him he could stay, but he's getting to be really annoying, won't stop talking, and it's really wearing thin on my patience, so could you come home please?" He asked, I could tell he was getting annoyed with whoever was there.

"Yeah Dad, I'm on my way." I said as I slid out of Edward's lap reluctantly, he started the car and began to drive.

"Thanks, Bells. I'll see you when you get here. Bye."

"Bye." I said hanging up and I handed the phone back to Edward.

"Well that was weird." I commented out loud, slightly to myself.

"What was? It sounded like a pretty normal conversation from what I heard." Edward asked as he drove through the gates of the airfield, taking my hand in his.

"No, not the call, apparently there is a boy waiting at home to see me." I told him, he looked at me confused and slightly angry.

"Did he say who?"

"No, just that there was boy waiting for me, and that he had something important to tell me." I said, he looked over at me,

"I hope you don't mind, but I'm walking you in." He said seriously.

"Good, I was about to ask if you would." I said, and we continued our drive back to the house, in a comfortable silence.

When we got to the house, Charlie came out to greet us. Stopping short at the sight of Edward's car. I couldn't help but smile at Charlie's dumbfounded expression as Edward help me out of the car.

"Is that the Vanquish?" He asked approaching the car.

"Yes Sir." Edward said politely as he placed the keys in his pocket.

"It's yours?" Charlie asked shocked. Edward nodded sheepishly, Charlie let out a low whistle.

"Dad, so who's here?" I asked, drawing his attention from the car for Edward's benefit, who seemed grateful for that.

"Oh, yeah, he's in the living room." He said turning back to the house. Edward took my hand protectively in his as we followed Charlie inside.

"Bells, I'll be right in the kitchen if you need me." Charlie said, eyeing the boy sitting on our couch.

"Okay Dad, thanks." I said as he left the room grumbling about teenage hormones.

"Hi Bella." Tyler Crowly said getting up from the couch and walking over to me. He pulled me into a bold hug, despite my hand being linked tightly to Edward's, stunning me, I heard Edward growl slightly behind me. When Tyler let go, I made sure to place myself in front of Edward to keep him from doing anything that could be considered as overly protective.

"What are you doing here?" I asked politely, still slightly weirded out by his presence.

"Oh I came by to see if you wanted to hang out with me tonight." He offered, his eyes on mine, which was a good thing because I had a feeling the look in Edward's eye could possibly kill.

"Actually Tyler, I'm going out with Edward tonight, maybe another time, sorry." I said politely, his eyes gleamed with joy when I said 'maybe another time' and I instantly regretted my choice of words.

"I'll hold you to that. Well, I better be off then." He said leaning in for another hug, this time Edward put his arm protectively around my shoulders, preventing Tyler from hugging me.

"Goodbye Tyler." He ground out. Tyler looked up at Edward for the first time since we arrived, his face became pale as he nodded, and left.

"I swear, that presumptuous little-" Edward began a diatribe against Tyler, but I cut him off.

"Hey, be nice." I scolded, as annoying as Tyler was, he was harmless.

"Promise me that the next time he bothers you, you will inform him of the fact that if he lays a finger on you I will beat him to a bloody pulp." Edward requested politely, I laughed as I pushed him towards the door.

"I will, now you need to go so I can shower and get ready for later." He stopped and spun around to face me.

"Or, I could stay and help you with the former." He offered with my favorite crooked smile.

"Oh, could you?" I asked playing along. He nodded,

"Maybe next time." I said with a laugh.

"I'll hold you to that." He said playfully repeating Tyler's words. I smiled and resumed pushing him out the door.

"Goodbye, Edward."

"Goodbye, Bella." He said mocking me. He placed a kiss on my forehead and left. I watch him drive away from where I stood in the doorway. I watched until his car disappeared from sight. As I closed the door, someone coughed from behind me, I turned to find Charlie standing in the kitchen doorway,

"Bella, I think now would be the time for us to have," He began awkwardly, and I had a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"The boy talk." He finished nervously.

**Hope you liked it! Beware that part in the car is my first time writing something like that, so don't be too cruel with the feedback!! Keep up the good reviews!!! they really make my day, especially when I'm in the middle of precalc! Thanks for the words, creative.!**

**Special Treat: 482 reviews (total)**

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**Next Update: January 11, 2009**


	27. Watermelon

**Hey everyone, this one is short too because, sad to say, I've hit a patch of major writer's block and it's never a good idea to write a lot with writer's block because you tend to write yourself into a corner, which is really bad, so this is really more of a filler chapter so once again, I'm sorry. **

**This chapter is dedicated to ****disgruntled female**** because I totally understand about embarrassing moments like that, while I was on my way out to the movies with a guy friend (who I'm not dating and has a tendency to be quite and shy) my dad decided to shout to the both of us, "and none of that sex in the movies stuff, just because it's dark doesn't mean you won't get caught, trust me!" and if that wasn't bad enough, he proceeded to wink at my mom. *shudders* (Sorry, that was a really long story anyway, back to the point, thanks your review was wicked funny)**

**xoxo, DEvINeROsE**

"Um, Dad, Mom and I had this talk ages ago." I said thinking back on our mother daughter boy talk. She told me not to have sex unless I wanted kids, then she sat me in front of the tv to watch Kirsten Dunst cavort around pregnant in Fifteen and Pregnant.

"I know Bella, but I think you and I should have a little refresher, now that you're actually with and around boys. It will only that a minute, and believe me when I say I don't want to do this anymore than you do." Charlie said walking over and sitting in the rocking chair by the window. He gestured for me to take the couch, I obliged and tried to change the color in my cheeks to a soft pink instead of their current fire engine red.

"Look Bella, I just want to make sure, you're not being um," He looked around nervously, searching for the right word.

"Pressured. I trust you completely, no question, but I was a teenager once, and well boys haven't changed much since-"

"Dad Edward isn't-"

"Hold up a sec Bells, what I was going to say was that Edward seems like and okay guy, but it's that other kid, I don't know if you noticed, but he doesn't seem like, you know?" Charlie asked unable to find a word that could describe Tyler.

"Yeah, I do. Believe me I have no intentions of going anywhere with him, Dad."

"Good, now about Edward, I think it would be best if he came over for dinner within the next week." Charlie instructed, taking me slightly off guard. For a boy talk, this was much less embarrassing than what I had, had in mind.

"Okay." I agreed standing up to leave.

"One more second Bella, I'm not done." He said, my heart sank as I looked back to find him staring at me feet. I brace myself for what was coming.

"As your father I have to ask this question, Are you, um," He cleared his throat nervously,

"Are you being safe?" I felt my cheeks burn as I looked anywhere but at my dad. I did not want to answer that question, or any question involving sex, with my dad, for fear of the utter mortification that would surely ensue if we were to proceed down that road. I didn't say anything for a moment as I thought of a way to answer that question in a way that would avoid the greatest amount of discomfort.

"Dad, we haven't, we're not, I'm," I stuttered.

"Dad, I'm a virgin." I said with a sigh, finally resigning to the fact that I would have to tell him eventually.

"Oh, well then," He cleared his throat again and I began to play with my fingers. "Just wanted to check because, as your father I need to make sure you'll be okay."

"Yep. Can I go now?" I asked dying to get out of this situation.

"Wait, while I do _not_ approve of this, I understand that sometimes it just happens despite what your parents want. I would rather you be protected than not, so here." He said holding out something for me, his eyes remained locked on the floor, which I was grateful for as I noticed what was in his hand. A condom, my father was giving me my first condom. I felt more than a little traumatized as I took it from him.

"Um, thanks, can I go now?" I asked quickly, my voice coming out slightly squeaky. He nodded and I went straight to my for my room. I threw the condom in my bottom drawer, underneath sweaters I knew I would never use, hoping maybe it might go away. I shut the drawer and grabbed my bathroom stuff, heading for the shower. The hot water relaxed me after my strenuous afternoon and after washing up I got out and dried off. As I was pulling on some clothes my phone rang.

"Hi Bella." Alice said when I answered the phone.

"Hi Alice, what's up?" I asked as I slid my feet into a pair of flip flops.

"Well, you needed a time to be home by, remember?" She asked as if I were missing the obvious.

"Oh yeah, so what time?"

"We were thinking like twelve-ish is that okay?" She asked.

"Hold on." I muffled the phone with my shoulder as I called up to Charlie.

"Dad, is twelve too late?" I asked.

"I don't see why not, but not a minute over, got it?" He shouted back from upstairs.

"Got it."

"Alice, I just have to be back at 11:50 to be safe, okay?"

"Perfect. Dinner's at 7 so we're leaving at six, I told Jasper you'd need a ride so just walk over when you're ready." She told me.

"Yes Ma'am." I said playfully. She laughed and we said our goodbyes before I hung up. I put the phone in my pocket and walked next door. I rang the doorbell and Jasper was out in seconds.

"Ready?" He asked as he shut the door to his house.

"Yep." I answered and we walked to his car.

"Where's Rosalie?" I asked when I realized she wasn't with us.

"She's already over there, I had to go home to pick up some stuff, so Alice asked if I could wait to give you a ride over." He explained as he started the car and drove off.

"So how was the Aston Martin? You should know Emmett nearly threw a hissy fit when he found out that you were the first one to go for a ride." Jasper informed me as we drove. I laughed.

"Why doesn't that surprise me at all?" I asked shaking my head.

"Because Emmett is a fourth grader trapped in the body of a WWE fighter?" Jasper commented innocently. I laughed again.

"Yep that's it." I agreed.

"So, how was it though, all joking aside. That car is a nice piece of metal and Edward's the best driver I know." Jasper asked.

"It was great. We went to this old airport, and drove around."

"Wait, so you actually let Edward go above 50?" He asked with mock astonishment.

"Ha ha, very funny, yes we went well above 50 for your information." I said, he laughed.

"Wow Bella, I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, because its your approval that I crave oh so much." I said contemptuously.

"Of course you do, I'm awesome, everyone wants my approval." He said covering his heart with his hand and smiling proudly.

"Conceited much?" I asked playfully.

"No, not at all, I'm actually quite modest." He said sarcastically. We talked about random things until we reached the Cullen's and Alice skipped down the porch stairs. She threw herself into Jasper's open arms, kissing him. When they were done she raced over to my side of the car, pulling me in for a hug before taking my hand and leading me inside.

"Come on Bella, you need to get ready." She said as she skipped through the house. I remembered I had to invite Edward over for dinner.

"Alice where's-" I began.

"He went to run some errands for me, he'll be back soon though."

"I have to invite him over for dinner sometime this week." I said glumly.

"Well, don't sound too chipper about it." Alice commented, as we went into her room.

"No, it's Charlie, he wants to spend time with Edward."

"Why? Haven't they met already?" Alice asked surprised, she guided me into the bathroom where Rosalie was prepping for the regular Bella Barbie routine.

"Yeah, well Tyler showed up at the house this afternoon, which was a fiasco in and of itself, then Dad felt that it was his job to give me the 'boy talk'."

"Oh no, what happened?" Alice asked as she looked around for my foundation.

"He told me that he thought Edward was an okay guy but that he wanted him over for dinner. After that he asked if I was being safe, and then he gave me a condom." The last part of my story came out in a rush and under my breath. Both Alice and Rosalie looked at me before cracking up. I sat in the chair pouting, not thinking the situation was that funny. Rosalie was laughing so hard, she had to balance her hand on Alice's shoulder to keep herself upright.

"Oh Bella, I'm sorry." Alice said through her giggles,

"But you have to see the humor in this." She insisted.

"Nope no humor on this end." I said folding my arms.

"Bella, you think that's bad? I got my first condom from Emmett, _in front_ of Jasper, he then told Jasper to 'Keep her happy' with a wink. Mind you the condom was watermelon flavor for 'Her pleasure' as it said on the package. Oh and did I mention that this was on Christmas morning when we were opening presents with everyone and both of our parents? So believe me when I say that getting one from your Dad, is not that bad." Alice finished.

"Of course we did exact our revenge quite well." Alice said with an evil grin. Rosalie started laughing.

"I remember the look on Emmett's face when he found out." Rosalie said.

"What? What did they do?" I asked curiously.

"They decided to make use of Alice's Christmas present in Emmett's Jeep leaving behind not only the wrapper, but a note saying, 'She's happy, thanks for the tip.'." Rosalie explained and I burst out laughing.

"Okay, maybe mine wasn't _that_ bad, but it certainly wasn't good." I said still laughing.

"That's understandable." Alice said as she began in on my make up. Once they finished, my hair was in loose waves and my makeup was subtle and innocent.

"Thanks guys." I said and we went in Alice's room to get ready. Alice had laid out my outfit on the bed. My jaw dropped.

"Alice, these are not clothes!"

**Once again sry bout the length, the next chapter will be much longer!! Please remember to keep up the reviews, you guys are doing amazing, thank you all!!!!**

**Special treat: 508 reviews (total)**

**Sooner Update: 518 reviews (total)**

**Next Update: January 15, 2008**


	28. Decency

**Hey everyone! Can I just say how much I HATE blair waldorf right now!!!! Honestly, how could she it was wrong and cruel and, and, and, just down right mean! I was in tears, I can't watch anymore! Ok RANT IS OVER andywhobe this chapter is dedicated to Creative. did you know the edwardian time period was from 1901 to roughly 1918, those years ringing any bells??? hahahahaha! Anyway, back to the story,**

**xOxO, devineROSE**

**Still own NOTHING stephanie meyer wrote!!!!!!**

"Of course they aren't silly! That's just your underwear." Alice said with a wave of her hand. On the bed lay a black lace corset top with matching lace underwear.

"Well, half of it." Rosalie said gesturing to the underwear before leaving. I took a closer look at the corset top. The black lace formed a sweetheart neckline, and underneath that was a gold that mimicked the lace's neckline and had spaghetti straps to hold the entire thing up. It was actually quite pretty. I was grazing my finger over the soft lace when,

"Oh Mother Christ Almighty!" Rosalie groaned as she came back into Alice's room.

"What? What happened?" Alice asked concerned.

"Jasper left my skirt at home, so now I have to go get it because he, Edward, and Emmett are helping Esme with whatever. Urrgg, so now I have to drive home to get it!" She said angrily.

"Do you want us to come with?" Alice offered sweetly.

"No, the only reason I came was to tell you I had to go, oh and Carlisle needs to speak with you." Rosalie said before leaving. Alice nodded and turned to me.

"It took him long enough." Alice said to herself, when she saw my puzzled expression she explained,

"Carlisle and Esme's anniversary is coming up on the fourth and I was waiting on Carlisle to ask me for help on his gift. Why don't you put that stuff on while I go and talk to him?" Alice instructed as she left the room. I did as she told me, the lace top slid on smoothly and comfortable, it was actually perfect for dancing, and like all of Alice's choices, it made me look like a girl. The bottoms were a regular cut, although the name of which I was unsure of, but I was grateful for their simplicity.

I walked into Alice's closet for the mirror, examining my semi outfit, now all I needed were bottoms. I was hoping for jeans, but knowing Alice, the chances of that were slim to none. Alice knocked on the door to her room.

"I'm decent." I called from the closet. I heard the door open and shut.

"So, Alice how did I do?" I asked Alice while exiting the closet, only I didn't find Alice. Edward and I stared at each other frozen in place. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans with a black button up that had yet to be buttoned. I found my eyes wandering down to his chest and my heart began to race as a blush crept over my cheeks. I finally managed to bring my eyes up to meet his, I saw him doing the same. I blushed even deeper when his eyes met mine. They were glazed over with lust and wanting, the same look that I'm guessing currently plagued my eyes as I watched him step towards me.

Edward's hands latched onto my hips as his lips locked onto my lips. I was suddenly painfully aware of my lack of bottoms, but for some reason it didn't bother me. My tongue slipped out and grazed his lips, he complied easily. Using his hands he backed me up until I was pressed firmly between the wall and him. I could feel every inch of him pressing against me, and I pressed back wanting more. He moaned slightly into my mouth, I pressed even harder, which in turn caused me to whisper his name as his lips moved to my neck. I wanted to feel him closer to me, I began to slid my leg up the outside of his, he smiled against my lips before placing a hand under my knee and yanking me into him. I let out a broken groan at the feeling his action caused, despite the awkward stance I was now in, being on one leg. He seemed to have noticed this as he took me off the wall and walked backwards.

We fell back onto the bed and I couldn't help but let out a short laugh that quickly turned into a moan when his lips reattached themselves to mine. My hands shot out to balance myself, one on either side of his head. My hair slipped from behind my shoulders and doubled as a curtain as we continued our kiss. I pulled my other leg up so I was straddling him, his hands settled onto my hips, grinding me onto him, I let out a small whimper into his mouth. He grinned again, and rolled us over so he was on top of me. One of his hands that had been on my hip slowly began to move upward towards my breast. My body ached for him to touch me,

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen get off!" Alice yelled, Edward and I both groaned as we looked sideways at a fuming Alice standing in the doorway to her bedroom.

"Do you have any idea how long it to me to mix and match to find just the right shade of lip gloss, honestly I could kill you right now!" Edward laughed and got off of me. Once he righted himself he held out a hand to help me up. I took it and he pulled me up, into his chest, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Why is it always my bed, huh?" She asked us.

"Alice, would you mind if I kidnap Bella for a while?" Edward asked ignoring her question. Alice's jaw dropped in disbelief, even I was a little surprised at his nerve.

"Are you kidding me? No, you can't kidnap her!" Alice said, shocked he would even ask.

"Well, that's to bad." Edward said with an innocent smile, taking me by the hand and pushing us past her. I would have stayed, but running off with Edward was much more appealing than another round of Bella Barbie, plus I would come back. I could never ditch Alice like that.

"Looking to make use of Charlie's gift?" Alice asked connivingly, I stopped and turned to look at her. She was giving me a look that screamed, 'I am in no way afraid to tell.'. I wasn't exactly prepared to talk to Edward about what my father and given to me earlier this afternoon. My face turned beet red I looked up at Edward who was looking down at me puzzled. I shook my head trying to dismiss it as nothing, but I could tell he wasn't fooled.

"I'll explain later, for now you'd better go before she makes good on her threat about killing you. Plus you need to finish getting ready yourself." I said jokingly he laughed and pressed a kiss to my forehead before leaving.

**IMPORTANT PLEASE READ THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH!!! Clothes on profile! And I'm really sorry about the writer's block, believe me because I know exactly what's going to happen with this story, but the problem is, I can't think of how to write it right now, so this is what I'm going to do, I'm taking a week off. I'm really sorry to all of you, but I need to get this story back on track, and the only way to do that is to spend some actual time on it. If I do this the chapters will also get much longer, so you actually have something substantial to read! So sorry once again, but I just have to do this! Keep up the reviews, you guys are amazing!**

**Next Update: January 20, 2008 (I'm going to the inauguration, so I won't have wifi access until then, sry!)**


	29. Beliefs

**Hey everyone, I OWN NOTHING without further adieu,**

**XOXO, devineROSE**

"You are terrible." I grumbled to Alice, she just smiled widely.

"I like to think so. Now, let's get you cleaned up." She said turning to the bathroom.

"So have you and Edward talked about it yet?" She asked holding the door open for me.

"Talked about what?" I asked sitting in my chair, which was still in the middle of the bathroom.

"Sex." She said bluntly, my cheeks darkened.

"Honestly Bella, if we could bottle your blush, we would have a very successful make up product. Now, are you going to answer the question?"

"Um, no we haven't talked about it. I mean, I know we will eventually, but I don't think we'll really have a discussion about it, I think it will happen when it happens." I explained thoughtfully. Alice smiled at me before returning to her box of make up, pulling out random vials.

"You know Bella, Edward's a virgin." This statement caught me off guard, and I felt my jaw drop a little bit. The idea of Edward being a virgin was beyond me. Albeit he had only had a couple of girlfriends, I had always assumed he'd gone all the way with someone. Alice let out a laugh when she turned around and saw my expression.

"Bella, the only girl he's been in a relationship long enough to even consider going to bed with is Lauren Malory, and well you met her, would _you_ sleep with her?" Alice asked, causing me to laugh as I shook my head

"Exactly. Bella, I have never seen Edward so happy in my life. Before you came along, no matter how hard we tried for this not to happen, Edward was the fifth wheel, and we could tell it got to him. Not the fact that he was left out, but the fact that everyone around him had someone else, and he didn't. Before you, he tended to spend his time cooped up inside, either reading, or playing the piano, the day you met him, we nearly had to drag him to the beach with us. I don't think you will ever really comprehend what you have done for him and our family. Bella, you saved him." She said sincerely, looking down at me, I felt tears prick at my eyes from her words. One escaped, and I wiped it from my eye,

"Alice, why is it that all of our serious relationships talks happen in your bathroom?" I asked laughing through my tears.

"Didn't you ever watch any of the teen shows during the 90's? All serious girl talks went down in the bathroom." She said ripping off a piece of tissue and cleaning up my face. It only took her ten minutes to fix me up. When I looked in the mirror my face was flawless,

"Thanks Alice." I said with a smile.

"You're welcome, now, let's get some pants on you." She said taking my hand and leading me out of the bathroom. She left me standing in her room as she went to retrieve my bottoms from her closet. She came back moments later with a pair of jeans in hand.

"Don't say I never do anything for you." She said with a smile as she handed me the pants. I smiled and slid on the jeans.

"I figured that top with a skirt might be going from classy to trashy." She said putting on a pair of her heels.

"Yeah, maybe just a little." I joked as I looked in the mirror. The jeans were dark blue and skinny, with a very low rise waist.

"Here this is for dinner." She said handing me a thin, simple black, button up sweater. I put it on too, buttoning the bottom few buttons, covering the skin that was showing from the short shirt and low rise pants. It actually looked pretty modest, and I slipped on the heels Alice had put in front of me.

Heels had become less daunting for me the more time I spent with Alice, of course I always had Edward there to catch me when I stumbled, but that was becoming less frequent. They were simple round toed gold pumps and they tied the outfit together perfectly. Rosalie re-entered the room, looking as she always did, gorgeous in her white denim skirt that she paired with a navy blue, silk, empire waist tank top, and blue peep toes. Alice was also dress to kill, she was wearing a simple black bubble dress with straps that crisscrossed in the back, with a pair of red heels that were rather intricate.

"Are we ready girls?" Alice asked, looping an arm through each of ours as we exited the room together.

"I feel a girls car ride slash sing along is in order don't you?" Alice suggested, as we traipsed down the stairs.

"Ooh, perfect we haven't had one in years!" Rosalie agreed.

"A what?" I asked confused.

"Basically, we load up the car with music, put everything on shuffle and belt out the words to every song that comes on. It's quite amusing." Rosalie explained before walking into the living room once we reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Sounds good to me." I told Alice.

"Perfect. We still have an hour before we have to leave so I'll go scrounge up some cds." She said before she skipped off back upstairs. I turned to watch her go, amazed at all the energy she had.

"Do you know how hard it is for me to keep my hands off you right now knowing what you're wearing under those clothes?" Edward whispered in my ear from behind me. I felt my stomach tingle as I turned around to face him. He was now completely dressed, wearing the same black button up, except this time, it was buttoned, and the same pair of jeans. I leaned into him,

"Then don't." I whispered back daringly, pressing a soft kiss under his ear. When I pulled back he was stunned.

"Bro!" Emmett called thundering down the stairs, I untangled myself from his arms and slinked past him into the kitchen, trailing my finger along the back of his shoulders as I went.

I heard Emmett talking to Edward and couldn't help but smile as I poured myself some water and jumped up onto the counter. I finished my glass and set it on the counter behind me, finally Edward stepped into the kitchen. He walked over to me and leaned backwards on the counter opposite me.

"I never knew cruelty was your special Bella." He said, smiling at me wickedly.

"What can I say, I have many talents." I replied with a smile of my own. He pushed himself off the counter and walked towards me, standing in between my legs, a hand on either side of my thighs. His lips were less than inch from mine,

"Funny, I have talents of my own," He whispered, "Would you like to see them?" I nodded, unable to speak, the lust that was filling my body, was preventing my vocal cords from working. Edward smiled deviously.

"Lean back." He instructed, I put my arms out behind me and did as he said. He moved down my body, his lips just inches from my skin, teasing me, and his eyes never left mine. He stopped at the first button on my sweater.

He looked up at me through his lashes as his lips moved to the button, I felt the slightest of pressure before the button unhooked from the fabric.

He continued until all four buttons were undone, then he pushed aside the fabric on both sides with his nose, causing his lips to drag along the exposed skin. He kissed a line across my hips, just above the top of my jeans, sucking at the skin lightly, I bit the corner of my bottom lip as my eyes drifted close and a soft moan escaped my lips. Once his lips had trailed the expanse of my skin, he kissed his way up the center of my stomach, stopping at the base of my neck. He inhaled deeply,

"Mmmmh Bella, you smell so good." He groaned, before his lips made work of my defenseless collar bone.

"Oh God my eyes!" Edward immediately pulled away from me and we turned to find Emmett in the doorway, his hands over his eyes.

"We really have to stop being interrupted like this." Edward said to me as Emmett made his way over to us.

"What do you want Emmett?" Edward asked rather annoyed.

"First, that is my new little sister you perv. So I have to look out for her." He said pointing to me,

"Second, I don't mind you two getting it on, but please, refrain from doing it where I enjoy three meals a day, and sometimes snacks. Also, do we need to have _the talk_?" He said, placing a hand on our shoulders and looking down on us with mock seriousness.

"Good Lord! Does _everyone_ think we're having sex?!" I asked loudly before jumping off the counter and walking out. I could feel both of their eyes on me as I left to join Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie, who were in the living room watching something on tv that I was too upset to notice. I slumped onto the couch arms crossed over my chest, my heart still racing from the feel of Edward's lips on me.

"I don't." Jasper said, smiling at me. Alice, who was seated on his lap, punched his shoulder.

"Oww."

"Yeah, me neither." Rosalie said, not bothering to look away from the tv.

"What?" I asked confused.

"We don't think you and Edward are having sex. Every time we see you two together you look so sexually frustrated that you can't possibly be having sex." Rosalie said finally looking at me, my cheeks flushed red.

"Rose, not helping." Alice said to her, she shrugged and continued watching her show. Emmett and Edward entered the room, thankfully moments _after_ this conversation ended. Edward came and sat down next to me, putting an arm around my waist and holding me tight. I rested my head on his shoulder. We all watched a rerun of I Love Lucy, which was what was playing when I first entered the room.

"Hey, you okay?" Edward whispered in my ear. I turned and kissed him on the cheek.

"Yeah I'm fine." I assured him,

"What happened back there?" He asked seriously, his eyes filled with concern. I smiled,

"I'll explain later." I told him. He nodded reluctantly. When the show went off Alice stood up, pulling Jasper with her.

"Alright, this time it's me, Bella, and Rose in her car, and the boys in Em's car." Alice said, taking her caplet from Jasper.

Jasper nodded, placing a kiss on her temple while Emmett just wrapped his arms around Rosalie.

"But, I, we, we always go- That's not fair!" He whined.

"Big shocker there, Emmett's the one to oppose." Alice said rolling her eyes, "Anyone else mind." We all shook our head.

"Good, but Em, you should know by now that even if everyone voted against, I'd still win."

"You are a cruel little pixie, you know that?" Emmett said with a glare.

"Oh, calm down Emmett, you two can do whatever you like once we get there." This seemed to appease Emmett enough to get him out of the door. We said goodbye to our boys before climbing into Rosalie's red convertible. As Rosalie pulled out Alice loaded the CD player, turning up the volume dial as the CD loaded.

**Hope you guys enjoyed that one! No ending note this time, I can't really think of anything sry!**

**Special Treat: 546 reviews (total)**

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**Next Update: February 1, 2008**


	30. A Man After Midnight

**Hey Everyone, I seem to be running out of things to say in these little author notes of mine! ****Smashley29**** this chapter's for you. I sorry to have caused you pain!!**

**xoxo, devinerose**

**I Own Nothing.....except my own plot line**

"Okay so Bella, here's the thing, as is tradition for all of these sing and play we do we must play the first song we ever did this little thing to. Now you can't judge, we were little and we had just gotten back from seeing Mamma Mia! on broadway, and hell, it's a great song!" She explained, and I couldn't help but laugh,

"Oh Jeez Alice what is it?" I asked laughing at her defensiveness.

"Gimme, Gimme, Gimme."

"Well, what can I say, give me a man after midnight." I said with a smile. They both seemed shocked by my recognition of the song. I let out a sigh,

"When I was little my mom went through a Broadway phase, and she dragged me to every show we could afford to go to, my favorite was Mamma Mia! too." I said slightly sheepishly. Alice squealed,

"This is perfect. Rose, if you would." Alice said gesturing to the radio.

Rosalie was reaching for the play button on her stereo,

"Stop the car!" Alice shouted. Rosalie's hand went back to the steering wheel and she calmly pulled over, obviously used to Alice's outbursts. I on the other hand panicked and looked around frantically for the source of her problem.

"Alice, what happened, what's wrong?" I asked her.

"Duh! We need the top down!" Alice shrieked, Rosalie laughed while she pushed the button to lower the top.

"Alice really?" I asked, unsure her scream was necessary, she just giggled,

"Well, we might as well start out with a bang!" She yelled the last word throwing her hands in the air since the top was nearly down. We all laughed and Rosalie started the car. My hair blew out behind me as we sped down the road. Music began blaring out of the speakers and we sang along.

_Half past twelve _

_And I'm watching the late show in my flat all alone _

_How I hate to spend the evening on my own _

"All you, Rose." Alice said, and Rosalie began singing the next verse on her own.

_Autumn winds _

_Blowing outside my window as I look around the room _

_And it makes me so depressed to see the gloom _

_Is there a man out there _

_someone to hear my prayer_

Alice and I jumped back in for the chorus

_Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight _

_Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away _

_Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight _

_Take me through the darkness to the break of the day._

Alice began the next verse by herself,

_Movie stars _

_Find the end of the rainbow, with a fortune to win _

_It's so different from the world I'm living in _

Then she turned to me, and I don't know what came over me, but as the lyrics flowed back into my head I began singing,

_Tired of T.V._

_I open the window and I gaze into the night _

_But there's nothing there to see, no one in sight _

_Is there a man out there_

_someone to hear my prayer_

We had then pulled up into the parking lot across from the restaurant,

"Come on Bella, sing like you mean it!" Alice shouted as we were all laughing, I looked around the parking lot, no one was there. I stood up in Rosalie's back seat and began belting out the words as I swung my hips side to side, my hands in the air.

_Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight _

_Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away _

_Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight _

_Take me through the darkness to the break of the day _

_Is there a man out there_

_someone to hear my prayer_

"Work it!" Alice shouted playfully, I pulled off my sweater I laid it on thick as I danced around, singing along to with words as loud as I could without full out laughing, while still sounding pretty good.

_Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight _

_Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away _

_Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight_

_Take me through the darkness to the break of the day_

"Wooooh, we love you Bella!" Someone behind us shouted, I turned to see all three of our boys standing on the curb across the street. Emmett, had been the one toshout, while Jasper and Edward were clapping and cheering. I felt my cheeks tinge as I noticed them, and I flopped back down into my seat as they crossed the street to meet us. Alice and Rosalie started cracking up, and eventually I couldn't help but join them. The boys were also laughing as the approached the car. Emmett and Jasper each held out a hand, I got up on my knees and smacked their hands with mine. Edward reached in and pulled me into a hug, placing a chaste kiss on my lips,

"Bella, that was amazing, I never knew you had it in you." Emmett said with a laugh as he opened Rosalie's door for her, Jasper did the same on the other side of the car before leaning back against Emmett's jeep, which Rosalie had parked next to.

"They said fifteen minutes." Jasper explained.

"I add one person to a reservation and they act like its the end of the world, taking an extra ten minutes to put down a plate and pull up a chair." Alice said with an exasperated sigh not bothering to get out of the car.

"Worth the wait I'd say." Edward said looking at me. I smiled up at him, leaning forward and placing my lips once again on his.

"Speak for yourself." Emmett said with a smile, throwing a wink at me, letting me know he was kidding.

"You think I'd speak for you, I don't even know your language." Edward said to Emmett, defending me.

"Slow down there, John." Jasper called from the other side of the car, we all couldn't help but laugh at that, even Edward for being caught in his little movie quoting escapade.

After ten minutes of just hanging around we went back inside the restaurant to wait for them to finish our table. They were finally done, the hostess led us to our table, making sure to first look Edward, Jasper, and Emmett up and down. Something inside me bubbled as she purposely tossed her highlighted blond hair, but I ignored the feeling and sat down at the table she had pointed out. It was a long table on a raised platform, two seats on either side and then one on each end. Edward guided me to a corner seat, completely ignoring the hostess as he sat down on the end taking my hand in his under the table. Alice took the seat next to me while Jasper took the other head of the table. Emmett was across from me next to Rosalie. The hostess placed a hand on Emmett's and Edward's shoulders as she spoke to the table,

"If you need my help, you know where to find me." She said looking pointedly at the three boys sitting at the table before leaving. I rolled my eyes and tried my best to ignore her comment as Alice and Rosalie were doing. Edward squeezed my hand lightly. I looked over to him and he smiled at me, I smiled back, he opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off,

"Hey guys!" I looked up at our server.

"Mike?"

**Automatic Chapter nod to the people who can tell me where, "You think I'd speak for you, I don't even know your language." comes from, and who said it!! and of course some virtual brownie points for being able to tell me the line that comes after that one!!! And YES reviews make me extremely happy so keep them up!!!!!**

**Special treat: 567 Reviews (total)**

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**Next Update: February 7, 2008**


	31. No Hands

**Hey Everyone! I figured out an awesome way to write this story so it gets rid of my writers block......BACKWARDS. Because I know exactly what's going to happen in the end down to the letter, what's going to happen is- hahahahahaha had you going there for a second!!!!! Oh and here is the list of chapter Nod-ees- (in post order)**

**Creative. x. Inanity.-sry ur name got cut off the first time, I wrote it out then it went wiggy so i had to add spaces!**

**dispatchangel911**

**.**

**To those of you who either got the name, or the movie right, but not both!**

**twilightpatches45 (I agree amazing movie, you forgot to put the name it!!)**

**Sonia Mari' (John Bender)**

**crazedcullen (thanks, I enjoy being a hero!)**

**Sadly, no one got the next line question for the full chapter dedication, it would be; Andrew: "Hey, you grounded tonight."(reason I asked this is because it wouldn't come up on google, so you had to actually know it!! heheheh i is evil)**

**xoxo, DEVINEROSE**

**I own nothing!!**

We all greeted Mike politely, but for some reason he continued to look at me. It was my turn to squeeze Edward's hand reassuringly as Mike stole glances at me while taking our drinks order.

"Oh, now that hurts, he didn't look at me once." Alice humphed once Mike left, causing the table to laugh.

"Edward, you better hold onto Bella there."

"Jasper, the day Bella dates Mike is the day Alice gives up shopping." Edward said sardonically.

"Well, well, this could get interesting." All eyes were on Emmett at those words, including my panicked ones.

"I say that if Alice can give up shopping for one month, then Bella goes on a date with Mike." I was pretty sure that at this I choked on my own spit while Edward gagged on a gulp of water. The rest of the table also seemed surprised by Emmett's proposition.

"What?" I said at the same time Edward said, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, if Alice doesn't go shopping for the month of July, you, Bella, have to go on one date with Mike Newton." My jaw dropped,

"Come on Bella, it's a win win here." Emmett said.

"How's that?" Edward asked for me, through his teeth.

"Bella, you hate going shopping, and if Alice goes shopping this month, she is bringing you. So if she doesn't go you don't go." Emmett explained, while I did love Alice, and would endure anything for her, the prospect of not going shopping for an entire month sounded pretty nice.

"And all you have to do for this is sit through one measly little movie with Mike. That's not so bad right?" Emmett asked, that part of the deal put a screeching halt on the "pretty nice" part of this whole deal.

"Um, hello, you're forgetting about my participation in this little event of yours." Alice said waving a hand.

"Alice, like you can resist a bet." Emmett said with a 'Give me a Break' glance.

"Maybe she can, when the stakes only effects me." I said, my voice slightly high as I thought of having to go to the movies with Mike.

"What would be in it for me?" Alice asked Emmett,

"I give you free reign on my outfit for Carlisle's benefit _and_ your little costume party." At Emmett's offer Alice squealed, clapping her hands in delight.

"Okay so here are the rules." Emmett began, speaking to Alice,

"Woah, back track it here," Edward said, "Doesn't Bella get a say in this?" He asked, Alice just laughed while Emmett shook his head.

"Come on Edward, it'll be fun, if Alice pulls this off, then we can sneak in once they are already inside to make sure Mike doesn't do anything." That appeased me some, but not Edward.

"No, I don't like it." He said simply.

"Tough, little man. Alice and I shook, no undoing, plus, Mike doesn't want to date Alice so it wouldn't really work, unless we want to throw something in to sweeten the deal? Give Bella a chance to not go on a date with Newton?" Emmett propositioned.

"Okay, that I can work with." I agreed. Edward's eyes latched on mine.

"I don't know, I think it'll be fun." I said optimistically, "Either way, me dating Mike is going to be in the pot, so I might as well try." I said with a shrug.

"It's your evening." Edward said, leaning back in the chair, his arms folded across his chest.

"Okay, so what should we have our fair Bella do?" Emmett asked the group. Rosalie was the first to make it known that she had an idea,

"Rose?" Alice asked.

"Bella has to keep her hands off Edward for an entire week, starting now." Rosalie suggested.

"Bu-But-" I began to protest, but they were having none of that.

"I think it's perfect, all in favor say 'aye"' Emmett said, there was a chorus of 'aye's, including one from Edward, which surprised me.

"Then it's settled, Bella may not touch Edward for the next seven days, if she does, then she must attend a date with," He looked around for Mike before continuing, "Newton. However if Alice caves, then Bella, your loss cancels out, so if Alice loses, you don't have to date Mike, even if you lose your bet, but if she wins and you lose you do go to the movies. Got it?" Emmett asked me. My head was spinning with the over usage of the word 'lose'.

"Emmett this has got to be the most complicated bets ever." Jasper commented with a laugh.

"Oh please, the one with you and Alice was so much more complicated." Emmett said. Alice's face fell, Jasper froze in his seat, Rosalie dropped her face in her hands, and Emmett realized what he had just done.

"Ali, I'm-" Emmett began.

"Would you excuse me?" Alice asked, pushing herself away from the table.

"Thanks Em." Jasper said sarcastically before chasing after Alice. I was going to go after her but Edward stopped me.

"Just give them the chance to see if they can handle it." He explained, I nodded when I saw Rosalie doing the same thing to Emmett, who was obviously feeling rather guilty.

"So, why is it that you are agreeing with this bet now?" I asked Edward,

"Because Love," He said softly in my ear, as his hand slid to my inner thigh, and I let out a breath,

"The rules were, you can't touch me, there was nothing in there about the other way around." He squeezed lightly. I had to get up, or risk losing the bet within five minutes of making it.

"I'm going to go check on Alice." I said hurriedly as I stood up. This time Edward didn't stop me, just smirked and winked. That alone set my heart a flutter at the thought of his plans for me.

I walked down to where the bathrooms where, which was the direction Alice and Japer had gone. I rounded the corner to find Jasper pacing outside of the woman's bathroom.

"She in there?" I asked Jasper quietly so Alice would be unaware of my presence.

"Yep, locked herself in." I knocked on the door.

"Alice, it's Bella, could you open the door for me?" I asked kindly. There was a pause, the distinct unlocking, click. I gave Jasper a thumbs up before I entered the one toilet bathroom.

"Alice, you okay?" I asked.

"Oh please, of course I am." She said with a laugh. "I'm just pissed Jasper didn't tell me about it."

"What happened?"

"It's a long story." She explained.

"Well, you are tormenting Jasper, right?" I asked with a smile.

"Touche Bella, touche. But we _are_ going to need the boys help to tell it, seeing as I don't _know_ the other half to the story, thanks to them." She said with a pout.

"Works for me, but I think Jasper has suffered enough, when I came up he was about to rip his hair out and put a hole in the floor." I explained, she laughed,

"Yeah, you're probably right." She crossed to the door, pulling it open to a frazzled Jasper.

"Alice, Baby, I'm so-" Before he could finish she jumped into his arms and slammed her lips into his.

"I never cared that you made a bet, I was just pissed you didn't tell me." She told him when they parted.

"You couldn't have specified that before rushing into the bathroom?

"If I didn't then I wouldn't be me, silly." Alice said with a giggle as Jasper set her down, and we walked back together.

"I knew she wouldn't be upset long." Emmett said with a smile,

"Shut it Em, you're the one who got us into this in the first place." Rosalie said eyeing him.

"So Bella asked me what happened with the bet, but I'm guessing I only know half." Alice said, glaring at Emmett,

"Ooh, yes! Story time!" Emmett said with a clap before rubbing his hands together deviously.

**That's it for now, sry it's filler, but the next one will be better. Oh and to all those who have yet to see Breakfast club tip, don't watch it on cable tv unless you have to, because they cut hilarious parts for time restraints!!!**

**Special Treat: 588 reviews (total)**

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**Next Updates: February 8, 2009**


	32. Loudspeaker

**Hey everyone! This chapter I'm dedicating to me, sorry my faithful reviewers, but I love this chapter! Its one of my faves aside from lost little lambs and unhappy beginnings! So sorry again, I love you all and you reviews keep me going just so you know, Thanks again!!**

**xOxO, dEvInErOsE**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!!!**

"H'okay, so you got, China, France, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, the UK and us, with nukes." Emmett began.

"Wrong story, Emmett." Rosalie said, as if she had to do this every time he started a story.

"Jee wizz every freaking time, Emmett." Alice said with a sigh. At that moment Mike walked over with our drinks,

"Oh and here you are Bella, it's the houses specialty drink of the week, gourmet hot chocolate milkshake, with house made whipped cream." He said as he set in front of me a coffee mug with a straw, the top was covered in whipped cream which was decked with a crisscross pattern of chocolate sauce.

"Mike, I didn't order this." I said, as I watched the entire table try and hide their smiles.

"I know." He said simply, before walking away. I felt my cheeks flush as everyone at the table stared at me, with the exception of Edward who was fuming and staring after Mike. Once he rounded the corner everyone else burst out laughing.

"Bella, Bella, Bella, what are we going to do with you, we can't take you anywhere." Emmett said with a laugh.

"Let's get back on track here." Edward said, obviously annoyed.

"Ah, right, where were we? Aha, now I remember," Emmett said mystically.

"Quit being a tool and get on with it." Rosalie said, causing Emmett to smile, and lean over to kiss her on the cheek.

"Yes Ma'am. Here goes nothing. I remember he had gone up to the bathroom came down the stairs with a smile so big I was surprised it ever came off." Emmett said with a laugh. Jasper looked to Alice apologetically, she just smiled up at him.

"Who cares, we had just met for the first time." She said sticking up for him.

"Aww." Emmett said, causing him to get an elbow in the ribs from Rosalie.

"Stop Emmett, you're making him blush." Edward said with a grin. Jasper just hung his head, but we could all see the smile on his face.

"Anyway, he came into the living room, flopped onto the couch, and what was it that he said Edward? I just can't seem to remember." Emmett asked Edward, though we could all tell he knew the answer. Edward rubbed his chin thoughtfully for dramatic,

"Oh, God." Jasper said, putting his head in his hands.

"I believe it went something like this Emmett," Edward said, then cleared his throat, before imitating Jasper's accent to a T,

"Who is the gorgeous creature upstairs?" At this we all burst out laughing, even Alice cracked a smile, though she tried to hide it for Jasper benefit.

"It's okay." She said to him, kissing him on the cheek,

"I think that's really sweet."

"Much sweeter than Emmett's reply." Edward said with a smile jerking his thumb at Emmett.

"Which was?" I asked.

"Who, Mom?" Edward said, once again causing everyone to laugh, Emmett even cracked a half smile.

"Come on, it was a decent question." Emmett said, he had begun to laugh at himself a little.

"Oh yeah, Esme is the first thing that come to mind when I hear someone say, 'gorgeous. creature.'" Rosalie said sarcastically, smiling at Emmett.

"Well, I knew it wasn't you, you're his sister, and Alice is _my_ sister, so the words _gorgeous creature_ don't exactly cross my mind when I think of her. Plus, you have to admit, Esme is really pretty." Emmett explained.

"But Emmett," Jasper began, "Esme wasn't even home!"

"Oh, right." Emmett said, looking slightly puzzled. This brought on yet another round of hysterics. Rosalie got out of her chair and hugged Emmett comfortingly as she laughed at him.

"Alright, Alright, back to the important story at hand. Emmett?" Alice said with a smile. Rosalie took her seat, and Emmett began again.

"So anyway, Edward was obviously the one to catch on that he was talking about Alice,

Flashback:

_Jasper plopped down onto the couch, thoughts of Alice and the kiss they had shared running through his-_

Pause:

"Woah, woah, there. _You kissed her_?!" Emmett shouted shocked, even Edward's jaw was slightly agape. Alice giggled, while Jasper cleared his throat with a devious smile,

"Not important, back to the story." Jasper said as Emmett tried to form words.

Flashback:

_"You like Alice don't you?" Emmett asked a reluctant Jasper._

_"I-I-" The poor boy was torn, between loyalty to his new found friends, or to his heart which he was sure was now in love with the graceful pixie upstairs._

_"He's gone." Edward said clapping Jasper on the back._

_"Hey Jasper?" Emmett called to him._

_"Yeah?" He asked_

_"Admit it, you like her." Emmett said nudging him._

_"Yes, that I do." Jasper finally admitted despite his fear of losing his two friends, ones he was sure, deep down inside, he wouldn't be losing anyway._

_"You want her?" Emmet asked. This statement shocked Jasper. This girl was no one's property to be given. She was a smart, funny, talented, attractive young woman who-_

Pause:

"Alright, Alice, calm yourself over there, no one died and made you narrator." Emmett said looking pointedly at his sister.

"Hey, position switched hands when you decided I was yours to hand off." Alice said with a smile.

"Don't worry, Babe, I had you back." Jasper said sweetly, leaning over to kiss her temple before Emmett picked up telling the story again,

Flashback:

_"I don't believe she is an object to be given or taken." Jasper said as politely as possible, not wanting to offend Emmett or Edward. Jasper's eyes flickered to both boys nervously as he awaited their response. Finally Edward smiled,_

_"Well, he's got my vote."_

_"Who's got your vote?" Alice asked as she danced down the stairs._

_"Emmett, he is considering running for student council." Edward lied smoothly, Alice began laughing hysterically as she continued on to the kitchen._

_"Is it really that unlikely that I would run for student council?" Emmett asked, both Jasper and Edward were about to answer, but both were cut off by the clacking of heels on the hardwood and yet another southern tinted voice,_

_"I've only known you for a week and I think it's safe to say, yes, it is unlikely that you would _ever_ run for student council." Rosalie said from her spot against the living room door frame._

_"Rosie!" Emmett said bounding out of his seat to hug her._

_"Hi Em," She said once he let her down. "Edward, Jas." Both boys responded with a hello of their own._

_"So, why are you running for student council?" Rosalie asked as she sat on the couch._

_"Don't worry, I'm not. Edward was just covering for me in front of Alice." Emmett explained._

_"Covering for what?"_

_"Well, it seems to be that your brother has the hots for my sister, who mind you, he just met, not twenty minutes ago. Edward said that in the matter of dating our sister, that Jasper had his vote, only Alice came down and asked, 'vote for what?' so Edward had to cover by saying student council, and that's when you walked in." He finished._

_"And I take it you aren't so keen on the idea of him dating your sister." Rosalie inferred._

_"You got it." Emmett answered._

_"Well, then, make him work for it." She suggested simply, with a shrug. Jasper's eyes went wide as he sat in fear of what Emmett would make him do._

_"Now, I'd better go, Alice is probably waiting for me." Rosalie said getting off the couch to join Alice in the kitchen. Jasper hazarded a glance at Emmett, he was grinning ear to ear like the Ceshire cat._

Pause:

"I do not grin like a cat, Jasper!" Emmett said defensively.

"Yes, you do. Now accept it and move on." Alice said.

Flashback

_"Here's the deal, you may have my permission to date my sister. However my sister is no ordinary girl, she is extremely special, and possibly the most important thing in my world. You got that?" Emmett asked seriously. Jasper nodded, knowing that he himself felt the same way._

_"Therefore, she must be treated as such."_

_"Of course."_

_"Good. Go ahead then and ask her out." Emmett said. Not even thinking about the strings that were so obviously attached, Jasper jumped out of his seat, only to be dragged back by the collar._

_"Slow down there lover boy, I wasn't through with you. The deal is you cannot look at her, talk to her, or send her any written messages until _after_ she agrees to go out with you. If you do, bet's off." Jasper's heart plummeted._

_"Em, that's impossible." Edward said._

_"Well those are the rules, take 'em or leave 'em." Emmett said._

_"Take 'em." Jasper said sadly as he shook Emmett's hand, solidifying the bet. At that moment, Rosalie and Alice entered holding two bowls of popcorn and a movie. Alice pranced over and sat on the empty cushion next to Jasper, nudging him playfully with her shoulder. He didn't respond, she did it again, only to get the same result. Alice's face fell and she ceased her movements._

_"Jasper?" She called softly, placing a gentle hand on his arm,_

_"Did I do something wrong?" That was the last straw he could take, the pain and fear of rejection he could sense emanating off her propelled him from the couch and he headed for the door, knowing if he stayed any longer his heart would surely break._

_"I'm sorry everyone, I'm just not feeling too well." He said before walking out._

Pause:

"Emmett, you're an ass." I said boldly. He just smiled,

"Hey it would out didn't it?"

"No thanks to you." Rosalie said,

Flashback:

_"Excuse me." Alice said removing herself from the couch and disappearing upstairs._

_"I'd better go check on her." Rosalie said getting up as well, glaring harshly at Emmett before leaving. Alice's door was shut once Rosalie reached the landing, she knocked._

_"Alice?"_

_"Uh, one minute." A voice sniffled from behind the door. Ignoring the instructions Rosalie opened the door and went inside. Alice was standing in front of the mirror, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. At the sight of this Rosalie gave up all sense of honor and told Alice the truth,_

_"Alice, there is something you should know, about Jasper and his current behavior. He and Emmett made a bet in order for Jasper to gain Emmett's approval of you two dating. I'm unaware of the details, but I pretty sure it is the reason for Jasper's weird behavior."_

_"A bet?" Alice repeated bluntly. Rosalie nodded._

_"I'm going to kill him." Alice said, beginning to head for the door._

_"No, Alice don't. Jasper needs Emmett's approval, don't you see. He won't date you if he doesn't have it, out of respect for Emmett. That's just the type of guy he is. Now if you go down there now, all high and mighty, Emmett will know you know, and he will either change the bet to something far worse, or he will take the deal off the table all together. Okay? SO you just have to be patient and understanding, and it will make this process easier for everyone." Rosalie explained._

Pause:

"_You cheat_!" Emmett exclaimed pointing a finger at Rosalie.

"Emmett get that finger out of my face before I snap it off." Rosalie said seriously, Emmett obeyed.

"And would you get over yourself, of course I helped them! Had I not you could have ruined, perhaps forever, the happiness of _both_ our siblings." She said accusatorially.

"Plus, it isn't like Jasper didn't pull through," She said smiling proudly at her brother,

Flashback:

_For the next few days Jasper moped around the house trying as hard as he could to come up with a solution for his problem. However nothing worked, he couldn't ask her, or write her, and he would never stoop so low as to ask someone to ask her for him, Alice would never go for something like that. Plus, she deserved grandeur, and that's what Jasper was determined to give her. But as school started, he was running low on ideas._

Pause:

"Food's here." Edward said, pointing to Mike and a few other waiters with food plates in hand. Mike and his co workers placed our food in front of each of us.

"Thanks Mike." I said politely. He nodded and smiled, obviously incapable of words, before leaving.

"So what happened?" I asked,

Flashback:

_It wasn't until Monday morning of the next school week, during homeroom, that Jasper came up with his brilliant plan to ask Alice out. He ripped out a sheet of notebook paper and scribbled down what would soon to be the most important note he had ever written._

_"Mrs. Cuttner, may I use the restroom?" Jasper asked once he was finished._

_"Of course, Mr. Hale." She said handing him the bathroom pass. He took it and exited the room, but not before winking at Rosalie. Checking his watch from where he stood in the hallway he dashed down the hall, and prayed he made it in on time._

_Alice sat in homeroom, playing with her hair and ignoring the glances boys threw her when they thought Edward wasn't looking. Her heart was still aching, it had been a week and a half, with still no word from Jasper. He wouldn't look at her in the hallways, or say hello to her during lunch and it was killing her. She understood the importance of what he was doing, and she knew all she had to do was wait, but that didn't make it hurt any less. She began to drum her fingers on the desk as the weekly morning announcements began over the loud speakers._

_"Good morning, everyone." Mrs. Cope said, then paused waiting for us to say it back, some did and some didn't._

_"We have a couple announcements for you this week. First, our field hockey team won their first game of the season. Congratulations field hockey! Second, the senior class would like to announce that they are having a bake sale this Wednesday to raise money for the senior class. Lastly, Mr. Burton has misplaced his glasses so if anyone has seen then please return them to the front desk, Michael Alvin. Thank you. _

_That's all for the announcements this week, have a nice- Oh wait, hold on, I just received an important message from one of our students, 'Mary Alice Brandon Cullen, will you-' wait a minute, this isn't an urgent message young man." There was a short pause that felt like forever for Alice as she sat there holding her breath while her heart pounded at double speed as she silently pleaded, 'finish the note, finish the note, finish the note.'. Finally the PA system turned back on and Mrs. Cope's voice drifted through the class room once again._

_"Mary Alice Brandon Cullen, will you please go out with Jasper Hale this Friday night? Have a nice week everyone." She finished. Alice nearly screamed 'Yes!' from her seat, even though the only person that needed to hear it was no where in the vicinity. She turned to look at Edward who was grinning for her. People congratulated her as the left the room, she followed behind them, anxious to find Jasper before class started. After searching for what seemed like hours she finally saw him at the end of the hallway talking to Emmett and Rosalie._

_"Yes!" She shouted to him, he whipped around just in time to catch her in his arms so they could share their official first kiss._

End Flashback:

The table was a mess of half empty drinks, clear plates, and discarded napkins.

"Wow. That's a really nice story." I said, Jasper pulled Alice into his side and kissed the top of her head while Emmett signaled for the check.

"Yeah, minus the two weeks of detention that came along with it." Jasper said with a wince. We all laughed at that, as Mike gave Emmett the check. Alice and Rosalie sat back while Emmett, Jasper, Edward, and I fished out our wallets.

"Um, what do you think you're doing?" Edward asked as I reached into my wallet.

"Paying for my dinner." I said obviously.

"Good luck with that." Rosalie said rolling her eyes. Emmett laughed.

"Not a chance." Edward said, smoothly extricating my wallet from my hands without touching the skin, and slipping it into his back pocket.

"Men." I groaned leaning back in my seat. Finally we finished everything up, and Emmett turned to us,

"Okay, now who's ready to party?" He asked with a wink.

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	33. Hang Me Up To Dry

**Hey Everyone, I AM SO SORRY I thought that the review amount was 628 so I thought we hadn't reached our quota yet, any way, this chapter goes to two reviewer this tim because both had me near dying of laughter. ****Creative. x. Insanity**** (****sry bout spaces, wont let me otherwise)**** and ****anne kingsmill ****between alice in wonderland and the pizza dough bit, you two are hilarious!!**

**xoxo, DevineRose**

**I OWN NOTHING- this is getting to be very tiring!**

"Alright so we need to discuss the details of this little wager of ours." Emmett said smiling at me from across the table. He was near shouting from the noise at Twilight. The music was thumping through the speakers, causing the entire building to pulse to the beat. The mass of grinding bodies moved together to the sounds of whatever hit song the DJ was playing. I groaned as I looked at Emmett.

"Emmett, there has got to be something else I can do." I said, my tone laced with a hint of desperation.

"Bella, come on, take it like a man, be strong." Emmett said, lifting up a fist to symbolize strength.

"But I don't want to be a man." I said with a pout.

"Yeah, I don't either." Edward said.

"You don't want to be a man, Edward? Wow, well I have to say I did see this coming." Emmett teased.

"You know what I meant Emmett." Edward said rolling his eyes.

"Of course I do, but your attempt at comic relief was not as funny as mine. Now, moving on, Rosalie, since this was your idea, you set the terms and conditions." Emmett instructed turning to his fiance.

"It's pretty simple, Bella, no tongue, no lips, no hands, which includes holding hands. Easy as cake." Rosalie said with a sly grin.

"As far as bets go Bella, this ain't that bad, you can still do stuff with Edward," He paused for a moment,

"Well, he can do stuff with you." He corrected, winking over at Edward.

"Fine, I agree." I grumbled. Emmett held out his hand, I shook it.

"Now that this is settled, Bella, would you care to dance?" Edward asked, I couldn't read his face, which scared me more than anything.

"I wouldn't Bella." Alice warned.

"Why?"

"Bella, are you serious?" She asked with a raised brow. "He can touch you, you can't touch him? Believe me Bella, it's going to be painful as it is, adding in more sexual tension will only make it ten times harder." She explained.

"Alice, she be fine, don't worry." Edward said with a wink before leading me to the staircase.

"Keep your hands up Bella!" Alice called after me, I heard the entire table erupt with laugher at her words. I put my hands in the air, laughing with them.

Edward and I walked to the dance floor,

"Just don't touch me." Edward said with a smile as he pulled me into his chest so my back was against him. We began to move to the music. The DJ was playing Hang Me Up To Dry.

"This isn't too bad." I said to him.

"Really?" Edward asked. He spun me around and using his hands to grind my waist into his.

"Ung, Edward, don't. Please." I begged slightly, looking up at him. His lips were inches away from mine. Every bit of my body told me to lean forward and take his mouth with mine.

"Bella, they're watching you." I didn't have to turn around to know what Edward was talking about. Someone was watching me over the balcony to make sure I didn't break any rules.

"Honestly it's like you _want_ me to go on a date with Mike." I complained half heartedly as he lowered his head to my neck, kissing the skin just below my ear,

"No," He whispered, "I just want to make you squirm." With that he bit down on my skin, I let out a moan, and it was extremely hard to keep my hands from lacing themselves in his hair. We were still swaying to the sensual beat of the bass when he pulled me even closer to him, one of his hands snaking around to grab my ass. My arms hung limply behind me despite their blatant want to wrap around him.

"Edward, this isn't fair I want to taste you, touch you." I grumbled, to this he lost the beat for a moment, but then quickly regained it. I realized at that point in time the power that I had over him. I tried it again, leaning in close to his ear so I wouldn't have to shout,

"Edward, I want to press my lips to yours, then lick at your lips until they part and give way underneath mine. I want our tongues to dance together knowing what it will do to me, what it will make me feel." I said, once again he faltered. I pulled away then, smiling triumphantly, his eyes were filled with desire,

"Bad idea Bella." He said, he slipped a leg in between mine and he pushed me against it. The friction my jeans made rubbing against his thigh made my entire body ache.

"No, this, isn't, fair," I said brokenly, as he did it again. It wasn't enough though, just enough to drive me crazy,

"You're being, unhh, cruel." I said as his lips made work of my neck. I was vaguely aware of us walking further into the depths of the club. I felt his body push me against a wall in a darkened corner underneath the staircase. He rubbed his hips against mine, I bit my lip,

"Edward, make it stop, I need you to make it stop." I begged, he smiled before he leaned down and began attacking my neck, I felt his fingers trail up my thigh to the button on my jeans, he popped it open, slowly pulling down the zipper. I felt my head fall back against the wall, my lids becoming too heavy to try and keep open.

"Oh, God Edward please." I whimpered, his fingers were teasing me through my lace underwear, the mix of the fabric and his fingers made me groan. The agonizing throb was growing as his fingers pushed back and forth.

"Edward." I pleaded, at that he roughly pushed aside the material of my underwear and plunged a finger inside me.

"Aghh." I groaned in pleasure. My knees buckled and he pressed himself even more firmly against me as his finger moved in a steady rhythm, but it wasn't enough,

"More Edward, please I need more." I moaned in his ear. Without warning he shoved another two fingers into me, I cried out in pleasure. His lips trailed down from my neck, kissing and sucking until he reached my collar bone, he bit down. At this I became so close, so close to the release I needed it hurt.

"Cum for me Bella." He whispered against my skin,

"Edward!" I shouted, my eyes shot open and I saw bright sparks dance across my vision as I came down from the release he had given me. My eyes drifted close as I floated back into my body.

We stood there for a moment and I felt Edward re-zip and button my jeans. I opened my eyes to see him lick me off his fingers, this stirred me up again, but I fought back the feeling. I looked out past his shoulders, no one had noticed us that entire time. I breathed a sigh of release.

"We should get back before Rosalie thinks I cheated." I said, knowing that if I was out of any of their sights for too long they would name me the loser and I would be subjected to an evening of torture.

"Good idea." Edward agreed and with an arm securely around my waist we made our way upstairs.

"Where are they?" I asked Edward as we returned to an empty table. He pointed out Alice and Jasper on the dance floor,

"And, I really don't want to know where Em and Rose are." He said shuddering. I laughed at him,

"Probably doing the same thing we were." I said as we sat down.

"Hey, you're not the one who has to sit in that car on the way home." He said.

"No, thankfully I'm not."

"Is it later yet?" He asked significantly.

"I suppose so." I said taking a deep breath.

"So, what happened?" "Oh, Charlie wants you over for dinner sometime this week." I said, remembering suddenly.

"Alright, we can do that tomorrow, now answer the question Bella. What was with that out burst earlier?" I groaned, putting my head on the table.

"Bella?" I turned to look at him from my position on the table.

"After you left this afternoon, Charlie and I had the sex talk. Since I was seeing you he automatically assumed you and I were having sex, which was mortifying by the way. Then when I got to your house Alice asked about me having sex with you, and wether or not we had talked about it. Then when I went downstairs, Emmett stopped us, and talked about the sex talk. It's just everyone was talking to me about sex, all within a 24 hour time period and I guess when it was mentioned for the third time, I may have snapped a little." I finished, taking a deep breath, I could tell my cheeks were on fire.

"Third times a charm." Edward said quietly, staring out in front him.

"Tell me about it." I said, sitting back up. We sat in silence for a minute before Edward turned to look at me.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"What-oh, about us" I trailed off suggestively, he laughed,

"Yes, about us," He trailed off as well, teasing me.

"I don't know, I just thought it would happen when we were both ready for it." I explained with an embarrassed smile. He smiled as well,

"That's what I wanted too." He said softly before pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"I love you." I said sincerely looking up at him, he laughed sweetly,

"Oh my love, I love you too."

**Review!!!! sry once again! No real closing note this time.**

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	34. Dinner and Dough

**To my reviewers, you guys went above and beyond the call of duty!! thank you!!! This one is for every single person that reviewed!! You guys are amazing, sry it's so late. **

**xoxo, d3vin3ros3**

**I Own Nothing**

The night progressed as did my frustration at not being able to touch Edward, and the whole 'he can touch me' bit, while satisfying, was getting old rather quickly. As we danced my fingers yearned to lace with his, as we passed girls with wandering eyes I wished I could pull him into my arms and show them he was mine. Not being able to do this left me feeling quite sad by the end of the night, how I would make it through the week was beyond me.

"Dinner with Charlie, huh." Edward commented as we all walked out of the club together.

"Yep, me, you, and Charlie. It'll be a barrel of laughs." I commented sarcastically. Edward laughed and tightened his grip around my waist.

"Well it will be for us!" Emmett said smiling.

"Come on Em, leave the poor girl alone, she's been tortured enough for the night, and I suspect it'll only get worse over the next week." Rosalie said coming to my defense, albeit in a way that made me feel even worse, but at least it got Emmett to leave me alone. We all walked back to our cars, the seating arrangement being slightly different for the ride home. Emmett, Edward, and Alice in Emmett's Jeep, while Rosalie, Jasper, and I piled into Rosalie's convertible. But not of course before saying our somewhat prolonged goodbyes.

"I love you." I said, and Edward gently brushed back a piece of my hair that had fallen into my eyes.

"I love you too." He said, in a way that made the butterflies in my stomach flutter and my heart skip a beat.

"Leave the window unlocked?" I asked,

"Of course." He said softly, kissing my forehead before helping me into the car and shutting the door.

The ride back was uneventful, Jasper, Rosalie, and I talked about menial things. Our plans for the week, what had happened on random tv shows in the past week, our favorite books, and things like that. But most of it was just to keep Rosalie engaged as she drove, knowing that if she was as tired as I was, then it wouldn't be in our best interest to let her space out.

We finally reached my house just minutes before the curfew Charlie had set in place. I carefully buttoned my sweater before saying goodnight and getting out. Charlie was upstairs when I walked through the door. I could hear the TV on, but had a feeling he was sleeping. I slipped off my shoes and climbed the stairs. Sure enough he was asleep, shoes still on and the tv playing the Jetsons. It was a laughable scene.

"Dad." I said, shaking his shoulder lightly.

"Hmmm?" He hummed incoherently.

"Dad, I'm home. It's time for bed." At this he opened his eyes.

"Oh, hey Bells. Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, it was a blast. I'm heading off to bed, as should you."

"Ah, leave your old man alone." He said with a smile as he got up and stretched.

"I will once you go to bed." I said with a laugh.

"Alright. Night Bells."

"Night dad." I said before heading back downstairs. All of the lights were off, I flicked them back on as I traveled to my room to unlock the window before heading to the bathroom, for a shower. Once I was all clean I threw on my pjs, which consisted of an oversized shirt and a pair of short shorts.

"I forgot about this guy." I bit back a scream. Edward was lying on his back in my bed, staring at Fried Dough, who was currently placed on his chest.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" I asked still gasping a little.

"Maybe." He said with a smile, looking over at me.

"Well if that's the case, then give me back my stuffed animal." I said as I went over to the bed and tried to snatch Fried Dough off his chest.

"If I recall correctly, I won this.'' He said, holding the stuffed puppy above his head so it was just out of my reach.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen give him back right now." I ordered as I attempted to lunge after him.

"Nope, no hands." He grinned.

"Fine, no hands." I said narrowing my eyes. Then I climbed on top of him, straddling his waist, and by carefully placing my hand above his shoulder onto the bed, I was able to reach Fried Dough and pull it out of his hands. I looked back down at him, his eyes were somewhat glazed over and I realized the position we were in.

"Ha, I win." I whispered.

"Is it cheating if I kiss you?" He asked looking up at me. I could only nod, but he still leaned forward anyway, pressing a soft kiss on the top of my neck, just below the corner of my jaw. Unwittingly at the feel of his lips, my entire body went slack, causing us to grind together. We both moaned at the sensation, I did it again, with more force and purpose.

"Ung, Bella, stop." He mumbled against the skin of my neck as his hands went to hips to keep me from moving. Yet they deviated from there original purpose when they began to skim down the front of my thighs, only to trail up the back, massaging slowly as they went.

"Edward, it's not, it's not fair." I said brokenly as he nipped at my neck.

"I think you said that already." He said slowly and I could feel him smile against my skin.

"Nothing's changed." I reminded him, leaning into him so I was completely on top of him, chest to chest, face to face, our lips mere inches apart.

"Bella, don't move." He said hoarsely.

"Why?" I breathed, unable to tear my eyes from his lips

"Because if you do I may not be in complete control of my actions." He said.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." I was still incapable of looking anywhere other than his soft lips. All of a sudden I was being rolled onto my back, Edward was laying next to me still, we were both breathing heavily.

"I think it's time we get to bed." He said.

"Uh-hun." I gasped nodding. He sat up and pulled off his shirt as always,

"Um Edward?" I asked shyly.

"Yes?" He asked turning to me.

"Would you mine keeping your shirt on, this task is impossible as it is. I don't really need more temptation." To this he laughed before throwing his shirt back on and snuggling under the covers with me.

___________________________________________________

Edward arrived the next day at exactly one minute before seven.

"Hi." I said as I ushered him inside.

"Hi to you too." He said before kissing me lightly on the forehead.

"Ready?" He asked softly.

"I'm not really going to answer that." I said with a chuckle.

"Hello, Edward." Charlie said politely as we entered the dining room where he was sitting at the table.

"Hello, Charlie." Edward said shaking Charlie's extended hand.

"So Bells, what's for dinner?" Charlie asked me.

"Chicken Parmesan and pasta with tomato sauce. It'll be ready in twenty minutes."

"Perfect, games over in fifteen." Charlie said exiting the room to the living room, having moved the tv downstairs,

"Care to join me Edward?" He called from the other room. Edward looked down at me raising an eyebrow and smiling.

"Sure, who's playing?" He asked as he joined Charlie. I smiled to myself before turning back to the kitchen to finish dinner. I was just putting in the pasta when the phone rang.

"I'll get it!" I called reaching for the phone.

"Oh yeah, Bella your mom called!" Charlie said, as if reminded by the phone ringing.

"Thanks!" I responded, clicking the phone on and bringing it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Bella!" Renee exclaimed into the phone.

"Hey Mom. Why is it you always call when I'm cooking, more specifically, cooking pasta?" I laughed into the phone

"Well, I've been trying to get hold of you for a while." She said.

"I know, Dad just told me. So what's up?"

"Just checking in, how have you been? How's, um, what was his name again?" She asked eagerly.

"I'm fine. Things are great over here, and Edward."

"Edward, right. I knew that." She said, and I could just see her waving her hand, brushing off her forgetfulness.

"So, how is he?"

"He is fine, he's in the living room with Charlie right now." I said, the smile spreading over my own face. I had to pull the phone away at her shriek, giggling to myself.

"And how long has this been going on?"

"About a month." I said sheepishly.

"Isabella Marie Swan! Why did you not call me?" She asked with mock outrage. I laughed.

"Sorry Mom."

"That's fine, it being your first boyfriend and all. But we will be having a talk." She said seriously

"Not another one, I had one with Charlie and believe me, that was enough to put me off sex for life." I said as I stirred the pasta.

"Oh dear I can only imagine how awkward that was. I'm sorry, next time you have to have the sex talk, you can do it with me, okay?" She said with a sympathetic laugh.

"Thanks mom."

"No problem sweetie. Now aside from Edward, made any friends?" She asked.

"Yeah, his sister Alice, who you would love, and Emmett, their older brother. Also the neighbors Jasper and Rosalie, who are friends with all of them."

"What's this Alice like?" She asked.

"She is about five feet with jet black short hair and is essentially a pixie. She loves to go shopping and has actually managed to get me to wear heels."

"Thank God, oh, Bella I'm so proud." She laughed.

"Mom!" I groaned.

"I'm sorry, go on."

"She loves to shop, possibly more than you, although she just made a bet where she can't shop for the next month." I explained.

"Bella, I would be there as a friend for that girl over the next month, because if she is anything like what you say, she'll be hurting by the end." My mother said cautiously. I laughed.

"Trust me mom, I know." I said as the timer for the chicken went off.

"And how have you been?" I asked her.

"Fine, Phil and I are going out to dinner tonight, but other than that, absolutely nothing."

"Sounds like fun." I teased.

"It is rather fun actually, well, at least I enjoy it. Now, I'll let you get back to your dinner. Tell Edward I said hi."

"Mom he doesn't even know you." I said rolling my eyes.

"Yes, well, I'm just being polite aren't I? And tell your father I said hi as well."

"Will do mom, I love you."

"Love you too." And then we hung up. While waiting for the pasta to finish cooking I set the table, placing Charlie across from Edward and I. Once the food was on the table I called them both in for dinner.

"Who was on the phone?" Charlie asked as he scooped some pasta onto his plate.

"Just Mom." I answered passing Edward the chicken.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. She says 'Hi' to both of you by the way." I said, scooping myself some pasta before having chicken.

"Edward, what are you plans for the future?" Charlie asked bluntly, jumping right into the interrogation.

"Well, I would like to be a doctor like my father. I plan on going to school then after I graduate finding a steady career, and hopefully get married and have kids."

"Interesting, any ideas on girl or boy?" Charlie asked genuinely curious. I saw him smile, I mashed my lips together to hide my own smile.

"A boy and a girl."

"Nice, now do you have any idea on where you'd like to live?"

"Preferably here, or in Chicago where I grew up." Edward answered truthfully.

"Quite respectable, I'm sure your parents are extremely proud." Charlie complimented.

"I like to think so." The rest of the dinner continued peacefully, Charlie told a few funny stories about his job, and a couple about me as a child which I could have done without. We finished dinner and enjoyed coffee in the living room until Edward had to leave.

"Before I go Esme and Carlisle would like me to invite you both to our house on the Fourth of July for dinner and fireworks." He said as he pulled on his coat.

"That sounds great, tell your parents we said thank you. I'm sure Bella will be able to get the details." He said gesturing to me.

"Yes of course." I said.

"Now, I'll let you two say good night. It was nice having you over Edward." Charlie said, once again holding out a hand.

"Thank you for having me." Edward said shaking his hand.

"You're welcome." Charlie said before heading upstairs. Edward placed a soft kiss on my forehead,

"I'll be back when he's asleep." He whispered.

"Yes, because that worked so well the last time." I said with a laugh before he pulled me into a hug.

**Hope you liked it, if so review, if not review! and once again sry for the typos**

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	35. Losing the Fourth of July

**Hi everyone! I would like to dedicate this chapter to anyone who reviewed and said something about my writing or me as a writer, (I'll explain why after the chapter!)**

**XOXO, DEVINEROSE**

**I own nuffin 'cept my own plot line**

"Bells, how do I look?" Charlie asked as I slid on my flip flops.

"Dad, you look great," I said with a chuckle, "But you really should stop fiddling with your shirt."

"I'm sorry, I'm just nervous." He admitted.

"For what? Dad, you'll be fine." I laughed before ushering him out of the door. He was still playing with the buttons on his shirt. He was wearing a nice button up with a pair of dark jeans, just as Alice had instructed when he called her to ask about what would be the appropriate attire for the evening. I myself was wearing a denim mini skirt and an over sized sweater, my hair pulled into two simple braids.

My heart was thumping in my chest at the prospect of seeing Edward. The past four days had been utter torture, Charlie had insisted on taking a father daughter fishing trip. I had always enjoyed hanging out with my father, however, being away from Edward for four days was agonizing.

Charlie drove while I instructed him on where to go without getting lost. Within twenty minutes we were pulling up the long driveway to the gigantic white house. Charlie had a similar reaction to mine, the first time I saw the Cullen house.

"This is a beautiful house." He said getting out of the car.

"Why thank you." We looked up to see Esme standing on the porch in front of the open door.

"Bella, darling so nice to see you again." Esme said giving me a hug before turning to Charlie.

"Hello, you must be Charlie." She said holding out a hand to him which he took gratefully.

"I'm Esme, Alice, Edward, and Emmett's mother."

"Pleasure to meet you."

"You too, please come in. Bella, Alice and the kids are out back, Charlie, would you like to follow me into the kitchen for a drink first?" Esme offered.

"I'd love that, thank you." Charlie said before following Esme into the kitchen. Instead of going after them, I went down the long corridor out to the back yard where the boys were playing pass on the grass while Alice and Rosalie were setting the table on the patio, and Carlisle was at the grill cooking for the evening.

"Hey guys." I said, causing Alice to rocket over to me and wrap her arms tightly around my middle, while Rosalie smiled at me from across the table.

"Bella, it's nice to see you again." Carlisle said with a wave I returned. Alice let me go, and all of a sudden I felt myself being thrown over a pair of massive shoulders.

"Emmett, put me down!" I wailed with laughter. Although my voice was mangled from my stomach being directly over his shoulder.

"Edward!" I cried to my savior who was laughing along with everyone else as he approached.

"Yes, Edward, come over and save the fair maiden." Emmett teased as he began to run around the yard with me, which wasn't a problem until he nearly took out Alice in her attempt to stop him.

"Em, put her down before I make you put her down." Rosalie called from the table. Emmett immediately placed me in Edward's awaiting arms.

"Hello Love." Edward said, setting me on my feet and kissing me on the forehead, "Long time no see."

"Edward, it's been four days." I said with a smile, though secretly I knew exactly how he felt.

"Four long ass days." Emmett said with a groan, "This boy has been moping around the house since the minute you and Charlie left, good God was it depressing." He finished clapping a hand on Edward's shoulder, Edward blushed a little and glared at Emmet for reveiling his weakness.

"Don't worry if you ask Charlie he'd say the same thing." I admitted, Edward smiled while Emmett just rolled his eyes.

"Where is good ol' Charlie anyway, I'm dying to meet him." Emmett said eagerly looking around.

"He was in the kitchen last I checked."

"Sweet. Adios!" Emmett said before crossing the yard and disappearing in to the house. I smiled and watched him go before looking at Edward.

"Hello." He said with a smile, I smiled back.

"Hello."

"Put your arms over my shoulders." He instructed, puzzled, I did as he said. As soon as my hands were cleared of his body, his arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me into him, hugging me tightly.

"You cannot fathom how much I missed you these past few days." He whispered into my neck.

"I was going to say I missed you too, but now my words feel inadequate." I said with a smile, he laughed as well before pulling away.

"I missed you too is just fine." He said with a smile.

"Jasper Rose, your parents are here, it's time for dinner!" Esme called from the table where she placed a giant bowl of salad. Charles and Margaret Hale had already immersed themselves in the festivities. Charles was with Carlisle and Charlie by the grill and Margaret was carrying out a pitcher of lemonade with Esme. Edward carefully looped my arm through his and we made our way over to the table. I slid into the empty seat next to Alice while Edward took the spot on the other side of me. I politely greeted the Hales as they sat down with us.

As soon as everyone was seated the food began to make its way around the table, there were hot dogs and hamburgers, the classic Fourth of July food, along with corn on the cob, salad, mashed potatoes, and cole slaw. I took a hamburger and a helping of each side dish, Edward gracefully poured me a cup of lemonade before pouring some for himself.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He said and I passed him the mashed potatoes.

"So, Charlie what brings you and Bella out here for the summer?" Carlisle inquired.

"I have a friend back home who signed us up for an annual fishing competition and this years prize was a trip up here for the summer. I of course had no idea that he signed us up until the day of, yet somehow we managed to win. But Billy is in a wheelchair, which would have made it difficult for him to travel, although to be completely honest, I don't think he even wanted to come, he just wanted to win. Either way, he gave his ticket to Bella, and here we are." Charlie finished.

"We are certainly glad you came." Esme said, glancing purposely at Edward.

"Yes, and we need to go fishing again, the three of us. Carlisle, you have to see this man in action, it's no surprise he won." Charles complimented.

"I don't doubt it. One day well have to go. As a matter of fact I'm off a couple of days next week if that works for you two." Carlisle offered. Margaret turned to Esme.

"We should make an evening of their little trip don't you think? What do you say, the boys catch, we fry?" She suggested.

"Sounds lovely. Where were you thinking?" Esme asked margaret and then they went off into their own little world, discussing time and place.

"Well, it seems as though our plans have been made for us boys." Charles said with a laugh looking lovingly at his wife. The men also began to chat amongst themselves about certain fishing tactics, and the best places to go.

"So Bella," Rosalie said, I turned to her, "How are you fairing? What has it been, five, six days?" She inquired with a sly smile.

"Five days, twenty hours, and 11 minutes." Edward answered matter-of-factly, before questioning,

"Although I'm a little shaky on the minutes, did the bet start at the restaurant or at the club?" He asked the table.

"I guess that leaves one day, three hours, and forty-nine minutes my dear Bella." Emmett said winking at me, I groaned inwardly.

"We're going from the hand shake in the club, makes it more official." Emmett informed Edward who nodded his understanding.

"Alice hon, how are you holding up?" I asked squeezing her shoulder comfortingly. At the mention of it all her face fell,

"When I was ten nine Esme bought me my first pair of designer shoes, they were my favorite shoes, I loved them so much. Then one day I can home and written across the toes in permanent marker was 'Alice Sticks'. I literally nearly killed Emmett because it hurt so much, they were the first really nice pair of shoes I had ever owned," Alice said sadly.

"She really did try to kill me though, and probably would have done it had Esme not entered the room in time." Emmett agreed.

"Anyway, this bet hurts so much _more_ than that. Emmett took all of my catalogues and he checks my internet history every night to make sure I'm not cheating." Alice whined, then slumped over so the side of her head was resting on my shoulder as she looked out at the table with a pout.

"Alice," Margaret said concernedly from across the table, "What's wrong?"

"Emmett was mean and I was stupid." She said.

"Alice you could never be stupid." Charles said reaching over and squeezing the back of Alice's neck comfortingly. He had purposefully omitted objecting to the statement about Emmett.

"Hey, I'm not mean!" Emmett said catching on, "She chose to take the bet, all I did was suggest it."

"Alice, didn't I tell you about making bets you couldn't handle?" Esme asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

"Well, yes, but-" Alice began,

"But nothing Missy, you're mother is right. Now what did you bet?" Carlisle asked, he was smiling as well.

"That I wouldn't shop for a month." Alice mumbled. Carlisle bit back a smile, not wanting to upset his daughter further, while Esme just laughed at her daughter's predicament.

"Oh Alice, come here baby." She said still laughing as she got out of her seat and walked over to her daughter, comforting the small girl with a hug.

"Let this be a lesson to you." Margaret said with a smile. Alice nodded and she and her mother broke apart, but not before her mother placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

"I'm sure you'll be fine. It'll be painful, but you'll be fine." Esme said comfortingly before returning to her seat.

"Yeah, Alice, and whenever it hurts to much to go on, think about the pain Bella's gone through, I mean hers was so much worse than yours." Emmett said with a laugh, causing all adult eyes to train on me while Edward and I glared at Emmett, who shrunk back sheepishly with a,

"Whoops."

"Bella?" Charlie asked with a raised brow. I looked to Edward, unsure of how to answer. I knew that the answer to this question would either not effect our time this evening, or it could make things very, very bad for all involved, namely Edward and I.

"Well, um, I-" I began shakily.

"The bet is quite simple, Bella isn't allowed to touch or kiss Edward. See nothing to bad." Emmett said trying to make up for his earlier mistake, and he clapped Charlie on the shoulder. Edward and I froze completely, awaiting Charlie's response. He took us both by surprise when he laughed.

"So that's what was going on the other night, and here I was thinking you two didn't like each other. Good luck with that Bella, and you too Alice." He said with a grin. I was momentarily stunned.

"Thank you Charlie." Alice said breaking me from my stupor.

"Thanks." I said and dinner resumed as usual.

"Emmett, Jasper, find any good ones for this year?" Carlisle asked.

"Did we ever!" Jasper answered.

"Care to tell us about them?"

"You'll have to wait and see, this is going to be the best year yet." Emmett told him refusing to comply.

By the time we were done with dinner the sun had long since set and the only light was coming from the house lights streaming through the glass walled building and the steady flicker of the candles placed on the table. Everyone chipped in to cleaning up the dinner mess so everything was spotless within half an hour.

"Alright kids," Esme said sitting back down at the clean table, "It's all you." Emmett, Jasper, and Edward ran off to the garage while Alice grabbed my hand and yanked me inside.

"Turn off all of the lights ok, I'll do first floor, Rose you can take second and Bella, you're the third." Alice instructed before she zoomed off in a different direction. Rosalie and I made our way up the stairs, parting at the second floor.

Once I got to the third floor I began turning off all the lights I could find. Luckily there weren't many, Edward's room, the bathroom, and the guest room, which I had never been in before. As soon as I finished I went back downstairs and began helping Alice with the lights she still had leftover. When we were nearly done Edward walked in,

"Alice, they're ready when you are." He told her, she grinned and she and Rosalie raced outside. I made to follow them, but Edward stopped me.

"And where do you think you're going?" He asked playfully.

"I thought-" I began, but he cut me off.

"Normally yes, but I want you all to myself tonight." He said sincerely and he placed a kiss right next to the corner of my lips. My heart thudded in my chest. _One more day, just one more day_ I pleaded with myself as he led me up the stairs. Instead of entering his room, we went in the guest room. It was painted a light blue with a queen sized bed in the middle, a desk pressed against the far wall and a tall bureau. Edward led me over to a pair of full length curtains, dropping my arm to push them aside. Behind them were a pair of sliding glass doors, which he pushed open before turning back to me.

"Bella there is something I want to show you." He said and he led me out onto the balcony. It looked out over the darkened top of the forest, and beyond that to the beach, to which the moonlight gave an eerie glow. It was not the picturesque view of the sunset, or a snow covered mountain range, it was much darker than that, but within that darkness was where it got it's beauty.

"Edward, it's beautiful." I told him honestly.

"I'm glad you think that, but that's not what I want to show you." He said with a smile, and he gestured to a small ladder that was leaning against the wall. I stared at it.

"You wanted to show me how I'd die?" I asked staring at the ladder before me. He was about to object when a loud crack went off, causing me to jump with fright,

"Bella, come on or were going to miss it. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you." Edward said sincerely. I nodded and nervously began to climb the ladder. It couldn't have been more than six feet tall, but knowing me and my clumsiness I would have managed to find some way to fall off and plummet to my death.

"I'm right behind you, I won't let you fall." Edward assured, as if he could read my mind. I finally made it to the top as another explosion went off. They were fireworks, going off in an array of blues, reds, greens, golds, and other colors of the rainbow. I climbed onto the roof, and found myself standing right under them, it was more than words could descride, I could hear the cheers of my family and friends cheering on whoever was lighting the fireworks. I felt Edward come up behind me, sneaking his arms under my own to wrap around my waist.

"Happy Fourth of July." He whispered in my ear before looking up to the fireworks going off above us. I turned my head so I could look up at him, the colorful bursts of lights sharpened his features making him even more beautiful as the wind swept through his hair, swirling it all around. At that moment I realized I loved him more than I did myself, he was my world and I was his, nothing could ever come between us.

"Edward." I whispered, he looked down at me, his eyes catching mine, we gazed at each other for a while and I saw in him exactly what I felt within myself.

And I kissed him as the fireworks boomed in the air.

**The end.**

**JK, Jk, we still got a while to go. Just want to say THANK YOU, you guys are amazing, and your reviews really make my day, seriously I really enjoy knowing that I'm doing this the right way and that you guys actually like what I write, so thank you I really appreciate it!**

**Special treat(I never really realized how sketchy this sounded, It sounds kinda like something a pedophile would say to his victims, "Hey kids, you want a **_**special treat**_**?"(Sry, I felt I should put that out there, I have a weird sense of humor)): 691 reviews (total)**

**Sooner Update: 701 reviews(total)**

**Next Update: February 23, 2009 (AHHHHH lord help me...CREW!-sry, im gunna stop with the outbursts seeing as they probs don't make sense to anyone but me, yeah....)**


	36. Out

**Hey every one! 2:30 am on a school night, and it's hell week for my play, typos are my fault sry! This one goes to Irritable Grizzzly (she knows why)**

**xoxo,devineROSE**

**I own nothing**

"Bella why-" Edward began when we pulled apart, but I silenced him, holding a finger to his lips.

"Because I wanted this moment to be perfect, I would never forgive myself if I gave up even one moment of this, of us, for a puerile bet, which I might not even lose, Alice looked pretty weak down there." I said with a smile, "Edward, I want to be with you in every possible way, that's all that matters to me." At this his lips curled up into a smile under my fingers.

"Well, what's done is done." He said taking my fingers from his lips and pressing a kiss to the inside of my palm. He inhaled deeply, his eyes drifting close. When they opened he just looked at me before pulling me into him and kissing me. I could feel it in my toes as I kissed him back, everything we had missed out on in the past week was made up in that one kiss. Finally we pulled apart, or foreheads resting on the others, eyes closed as we listened to the rapid breaths we were both taking. I smiled, as I opened my eyes to find him watching me,

"I love you." Edward whispered.

"And I you." I whispered back.

"Ready to tell them you caved?" He asked with a smirk as he leaned back.

"Hey, this is all your fault." I said with a smile.

"My fault?" He asked with a laugh, I nodded.

"How?"

"Well, you brought me up here, _alone,_ with the view, and the fire works, and the close proximity, and the perfection. This lands in your lap buddy." I said poking a playfully accusatory finger into his chest.

"If it means I can do this," He took my hand from his chest and pulled me in yet again,

"Whenever I want, than I will be more that will to abide by your reasoning."

"So, do we have to go down just yet?" I asked, pushing out my lower lip a little bit and pouting slightly. He laughed before pulling me into him for a hug.

"Of course not my Bella."

We laid down on the roof for a while, watching the stars above until we heard Esme call us for dessert.

"I don't want to go." I said as I snuggled myself further into his side.

"Hey, I made that dessert down there." He said, I sat up looking down at him,

"What did you make?" I asked,

"Chocolate soufflé." He said nonchalantly, as if it were the same as whipping up a pb+j.

"You never cease to amazing me Mr. Cullen." I said with a smile. He grinned pushing himself up on his elbows.

"Good." He said before leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to my lips.

______________________________________________

"Oh my God!" Rosalie said dumbfounded as Edward and I walked back outside together.

"Rosalie Hale, I know we taught you better than to take the Lord's name in vain." Margaret scolded. She and Esme were seated in their spots at the table, Carlisle, Charlie, and Charles were no where to be found.

"She kissed him!" Jasper, Alice, Rosalie and Emmett all stared at me wide eyed. While Esme and Margaret were smiling at each other knowingly.

"That's not all she did I bet." Emmett laughed. I felt my cheeks darken even though we hadn't actually done anything.

"Leave the poor girl alone Emmett," Esme scolded coming to my rescue, "She's gone through enough hasn't she?"

"It wasn't that bad." Emmett said rolling his eyes.

"Oh please, don't act like I don't know about your and Rosalie's hands on relationship, you two couldn't last a day, let alone a week." Esme scoffed, Emmett in order to regain his pride

"Hey ma, wanna bet?"

"No!" Rosalie, Edward, and I shouted at once. Emmett just grinned.

"You guys go and grab your dessert. Also, there is heavy cream, chocolate sauce and strawberries in the fridge if you guys want to do whip cream and toppings as well. Margaret and I will go get the boys." Esme suggested as she and Margaret got up and headed inside.

"Come on kiddleywinks, you heard the woman." Alice said jumping up from the table and dragging Jasper into the house with her. Rosalie, Emmett, Edward and I followed her in.

"Rose, Bella and I can make the whip cream, you guys can slice the strawberries." Alice instructed grabbing an oversized bowl and the egg beaters while Rosalie grabbed the sugar and I got the heavy cream.

"But I love making whipped cream." Emmett whined.

"Tough. Now grab a knife and start slicing." Alice said forcefully, Emmett pouted but joined his brothers.

A few minutes in I felt something thwack against the skin of my neck, I reached up to pull a piece of strawberry off my skin.

"Hey!" I said turning to the boys, Emmett was smiling sheepishly, Edward was biting back a grin and Jasper just continued slicing.

"Sorry I was aiming for Alice." Emmett apologized with a smile. Alice glared at him and we all turned back to our tasks. Then out of nowhere, Alice picked up the spoon and flung a hunk of whipped cream at the boys. Edward and Jasper dove out of the way, causing the whipped cream to splatter all over the cabinet behind them and on Emmett who had not been quick enough.

"Why you evil little pixie!" Emmett said walking over to her, a menacing look on his face, holding a spoonful of chocolate sauce they had also been working on. At the last moment, Rosalie stepped in front of Alice, knowing Emmett wouldn't dream of attacking her, only her movements were to late and Emmett didn't have time to stop. A dollop of chocolate sauce landed right on her hair line and dribbled down the front of her face. The entire kitchen froze. Not thinking of anything other than defending Rosalie, while everyone was awaiting her reaction, I dumped my hand in the bowl of whipped cream.

"Hey Emmett!" I called before hurling a glob of cream at him, unfortunately he ducked, and my well aimed attack soared past him to cream an unsuspecting Edward in the neck. I clapped my clean hand over my mouth in shock and I went over to him,

"Edward, I'm-" Before I could get out an apology a handful of chopped strawberries were being squashed into my hair. My jaw dropped. I took my still whipped cream covered hand and without thinking I rubbed it right into his hair. I heard Alice and Rosalie crack up with laughter behind me. Edward glared down at me, until he glanced over my shoulder and smirked

"Jasper, don't you dare!" Alice warned, I spun around to see Jasper coming at me with the bottle of chocolate sauce,

"No!" I squealed, but Edward's arms locked around me while his partner squirted the bottle of chocolate sauce at me, chocolate dripping down my front.

"Oh, it's on." Alice said from behind me, and so began the war. Chocolate sauce, whipped cream and strawberries began flying through the air. From what I could tell, it was Alice Rosalie and I against Edward, Emmett and Jasper. The girls on one side of the island and the boys on the other. I looked over at my team mates. Each was covered in chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and chunks of strawberries. Alice was clutching the bowl of whipped cream as Rosalie and I reached in and lobbed scoops of it across the kitchen to the boys side. They retaliated with chocolate sauce and bits of red fruit.

"Kids is everything-" Esme started to ask as she entered the kitchen with Margaret, before freezing in her track to view the shambled state of her kitchen. We all froze as we watched her jaw dropped a little. I could only imagine what she was seeing, three crouching boys on one end of the island and three pairs of girl's eyes on the other end peeking out over the countertop. All of this in the middle of her kitchen once spotless kitchen, which was now covered in multiple layers of syrupy filth.

"Front and center now!" We all stood up to gather in front of a fuming Esme.

"Just out of curiosity, who will be cleaning this up?" She asked eyeing us.

"We will." We answered collectively.

"Good answer." She said before carefully crossing the kitchen to grab the untouched soufflé and plates, turning to us,

"Exactly as you found it." She said before leaving with Margaret. Once she was gone we all looked at each other, and we burst out laughing, knowing exactly what everyone else was thinking, _Let's do that again_.

_________________________________________________________

July passed by quickly and uneventfully, filled with days of relaxing on the beach with Edward and everyone else, just lazy peaceful days, with the exception of the night Carlisle and Esme were away and the power went out at the Cullen's.

Flashback:

_A flash of lightening went off and I jumped slightly._

_"Scared Bella?" Emmett asked with a smile._

_"No." I lied, although I knew he knew I was lying._

_"Good, so then we can tell ghost stories." He said, but before I could protest, he began one about a monster out in the middle of nowhere and how he would lure young men and women out to his estate by putting boobie traps out on the road. As the story progressed I huddled myself deeper into Edward's side._

_"They looked around quietly, desperately searching for a way out, when all of a sudden, AHHH!" Emmett yelled to give the story more umph, only, as he did the power went out, causing me to let out a blood curdling scream._

_"Jesus Christ! What was that?" I heard Emmett ask._

_"Bella." Jasper answered, and even in the dark I could tell he was smirking._

_"Bella, are you all right?" Edward's concerned voice drifted through the darkness._

_"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just a little scared is all."_

_"_A little_?" I heard Emmett asked sarcastically._

_"Come on guys, knock it off, Emmett just go and get the flashlights." Alice's voice rang out. I heard Emmett stand up and my eyes began to adjust. I could just make out the outline of things when Emmett flicked on the flash light, which happened to be one of the megawatt ones used by firefighters._

_"Now why don't you guys gather up some candles while I see what I can do about the power." He said as he passed Edward the second flashlight. We managed to find a decent amount of candles and had begun lighting them when Emmett came back._

_"No luck, everywhere is out from the looks of it." He told us all._

_"Oh well, I think we're good here. Care to lend a hand, we just have a few more to go." Alice asked. Emmett took a patch of matches and began lighting the leftover candles. I wasn't paying complete attention and I was still a little shaken by the storm, so when I backed into something rather large I let out another scream._

_"Okay, that's it, we need to loosen Bella up." Emmett said pointing at me._

_"Who's up for a game of never have I ever?" He asked since we had finished lighting the candles. I looked at him puzzled._

_"Oooh, yay!" Alice said clapping her hands together, "Wait, interesting or not?" She asked Emmet which confused me even more._

_"Well, Bella what do you say, you up for give alcohol another try?" Emmett asked me._

_"You don't have to if you don't want to." Edward informed me. But I figured, __**(ooc) **_why not, might even help get my mind off the storm raging outside.

_"Sure, lets do interesting." I said, Alice nodded before grabbing a lit candle and walking into the kitchen._

_"I still don't get what we're playing?" I asked, as I helped to light the last of the candles._

_"Never have I ever, someone says something that they've never done, and if you _have_ done it, you take a shot." Emmett explained._

_"Don't worry Bella, you'll be fine with us. I promise I won't let James kiss you." Edward teased as Alice returned with shot glasses and a bottle of vodka._

_"Haha, very funny." I said with a smirk as we gathered around the coffee table, seated on the floor. Alice passed out the shot glasses while Jasper filled them halfway._

_"Okay, I'll start." Emmett said once Alice and Jasper finished._

_"Never have I ever worn women's underwear." Rosalie, Alice, and I all took a shot. The liquid stung as it slid down my throat but I managed not to cough._

_"So do you get it Bella?" Emmett asked, I nodded, "Good, Alice you're next."_

_"Never have I ever hooked up with someone in the middle of health class, that was being taught by my father." She said with a smile, Emmett grinned reminiscently before he and Rosalie both down another shot._

_"Really?" I asked._

_"Yep." Emmett said, "10th grade health, the school requested that Carlisle teach it one day, and well I thought it would be really funny if I kissed Rose in the middle of his lesson while his back was turned. The entire class began to laugh and cheer, and to this day Carlisle has no idea why." He finished with a laugh._

_"Jasper's turn." Rosalie informed us as he refilled the empty shot glasses._

_"Never have I ever gone skinny dipping with other people." Jasper said, this time I was the only one to take a shot. Everyone stared at me._

_"What? I was 14 and well, it doesn't matter. Alice your turn." I said trying to pass over the subject._

_"Wait a minute, Bella, finish the story." Emmett I let out a sigh and realized we wouldn't be able to go on,_

_"I was 14 and it was with this kid Jacob, he's my best friend and it was dark out so no biggie. Now Alice, go." I said quickly, as I felt Edward tense up beside me._

_"Never have I ever made a bet not to touch my boyfriend." She said smiling at me._

_"Haha Alice very funny." I said as I down a shot. The game went on like this, I became a little loopy after my fourth and by the time it was my turn again, it started to show._

_"Your turn Bella." Emmett said, due to my alcohol consumption and everyone using up the good ones I said the first thing that came to mind,_

_"Never I ever tried to kill myyysef." I slurred. _

_"Bella, please we aren't all mental cases. Rosie, it's to you." Emmett said, nodding at his fiancee. Rosalie went to take her turn but before she could speak, the clacking of an empty glass on the wooden table stopped us all. Our eyes shot to Alice and her empty shot glass, Jasper's were the only ones not to. He just stared at the table, as if, he was guilty._

**Sooner update: 729 reviews (total)**

**Next update: feb, 26 2009**


	37. Blood Ties

**Hey everyone! SRY There is an MAJOR explanation at the bottom!!!!!!! This is a mix of narrative and flashbacks, (normally when a story is told by a person, they tend not to know every words spoken, but i felt it was needed for this story) anyway, y'alls is borderline amazing........jk, y'alls is amazing! thank you so much for the reviews-just for clarification- Alice tried to kill herself, Jasper feels guilty because he knew about it, and didn't tell Emmett or Edward.**

_"Alice, would you mind explaining what the fuck is going on?" Emmett asked breaking through the silence. Alice said nothing. I looked to Edward, he was obviously in pain at the thought of his sister ending her life, and not only was he not there to stop it, he didn't even know it had happened._

_"Alice!" Emmett was near shouting now, Rosalie placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him._

_"No Rose." He said shrugging her off, "Alice?"_

_"It was last summer. You, Edward, and Jasper were away at that overnight camp, and Rosalie was visiting her aunt. It was just Esme, Carlisle and I left at home. One day when Carlisle was at work the doorbell rang. I was in my room and Esme was in the kitchen, we both made our way down to the door. Esme got there first and I just watched from the top of the stairs. She opened the door to a middle aged blonde woman dressed in a business suit. _

_The woman introduced herself as Evelyn Carmichael and she handed Esme a blue envelope, then wished her a good day before turning to leave. Esme didn't even bother to shut the door as she quickly unfolded the paper and read the details. After a few moments she sunk to the floor sobbing uncontrollably, I had no idea what was going on, I raced down the stairs to her, but she wouldn't talk to me, she just kept crying. I called Carlisle and explained the situation to him, begging him to come home. He was there within the next two hours. I had managed to get Esme on the couch, and slightly calm by the time he got home, but when she saw him she threw herself into his arms and began crying again. Carlisle tried asking her what was wrong, but she couldn't answer, she just pulled away and handed him the piece of paper. He began reading it, line after line his face became paler and paler, by the time he was done his eyes were glistening with tears he refused to let fall. I was frozen in shock at this._

_Then the phone rang, I made to answer it, but Carlisle held up his hand and got the phone. I looked to Esme as he began talking to whoever was on the other line. She was sitting on the couch, just staring at the table as tears slid silently down her face. I went into the kitchen and made her a cup of tea. When I came back into the living room Carlisle was just finishing up on the phone as I handed Esme her tea. She took it, smiling weakly up at me._

_'Alice honey.' Carlisle said, sitting next to Esme._

_'There is something we need to explain to you.' He said, then proceed to tell me that I had been placed where I was when they found me by the state due to the fact that my parents had been deemed unfit. I could be adopted, but it would be conditional. If my parents cleaned up their acts and created a stable living environment for me then they were legally allowed have me back. Carlisle and Esme had been aware of this when they adopted me, but they didn't care. _

_Carlisle then told me that my parents were on their way here and they were the ones on the phone, they wanted to have lunch with me the day after next. He then said that he had a few calls to make and he excused himself to his office. I waited until Esme had fallen asleep on the couch before I went up to my room. But I didn't stay in there long, to many pictures and memories, so I grabbed my coat and phone and went for a walk._

_I called Jasper and explained to him what was happening, but I couldn't bear to call you two, you wouldn't want to be home. It was like death had come, Esme never spoke, Carlisle took the next few days off and spent them constantly on the phone, while I meandered around the house, trying as hard as possible to find something to take my mind off of what was happening. The day after I talked to him, Jasper showed up. He held my hand as Carlisle explained that he had tried everything, but there was nothing he could do." The only thing that made it possible for me to stomach Alice's story was knowing it ended well, even so, my heart was aching._

_"For the rest of the day I spent my time holed up in my room with Jasper until lunch the next morning. Evelyn came and picked me up, we drove into town, to the hotel my parents were staying. The entire time I fought back tears as I realized the people I was about to meet would be my future parents. Evelyn lead me inside to the hotel's restaurant. It was crowded but it didn't matter, in the midst of the jumble I saw a man and a woman, seated at a table for four. The woman had jet black hair with deep brown eyes that had obviously seen an immense amount of hardship. The man had grey eyes, but was balding, and as he smiled up at me I could tell I had his smile. I smiled politely back as I took my seat across from them._

_'Hello.' I said, trying to steady my voice._

_'Hello Mary darling, you've grown so beautifully.' The woman said, I shuddered internally at the use of my first name._

_'Thank you.' I listened to them talk, telling me about themselves, and I couldn't help but compare them to Carlisle and Esme, they fell completely short._

_'You have a little sister now. Would you like to see a picture.' The man asked. I nodded and he pulled out his wallet, he opened it then handed it to me. There were two pictures, one of me as a baby, and another of a little girl. She was about six or seven, she looked just like me, but her cheeks were rounder and her smile came from our mother. I handed the wallet back,_

_'She's very beautiful.' I said. Then the woman reached over and took my hand in hers,_

_'We'll take care of you Mary.' She said, her hand was hot, nothing like Esme's, I resisted the urge to yank my hand away._

_'You'll love our new house too, you have your own room, right next to your sister's, and there is a wonderful school right down the street.' She informed me with a smile._

_'Where do you live?' I asked, scared for the answer. She sensed my fear and turned to the man._

_'We still live in Chicago, we never moved.' He told me. He was watching me for a reaction, I felt like screaming and crying, but I didn't let them see it. I asked if they would let me come back to visit. They looked at each other before the woman answered._

_'Mary, do you think that would be the best idea?' She asked me._

_'It would make things very hard, emotionally for you.' Evelyn said, all I could do was nod. We finished up lunch in peace. I listened to what they were saying but the more they talked the more I realized I could never live with them. They were nice, but they could never make me happy. We waited together in the lobby for the valet to bring Evelyn's car around. After ten minutes one of the valets came in to inform us that the car wouldn't start. They had called a tow agency and there was a rental on it's way, but it would take a few hours. Evelyn asked me if I was willing to wait, or if I wanted to call someone to get me. There was no question, I called Jasper._

_'Mary, as your mother, I am going to try my hardest to make this whole thing more comfortable for you.' She said as we waited for Jasper to show up. I wanted to scream at her that there was no way she could make me comfortable with this, but I didn't instead I just thanked her._

_'I'm glad I'm getting you back Mary.' She said, at this I slipped a little in my control._

_'Would you mind calling me Alice, please?' I asked, she frowned, but then it quickly disappeared._

_'Okay. Alice.' She said slowly as if trying to adjust to it. After another twenty minutes Jasper showed up. I remember throwing myself into his arms as I held back my tears and whispered for him to take me home. He nodded and set me down, never letting go of my hand as we walked over to everyone._

_'You'll see that she gets home?' Evelyn asked him, Jasper agreed. _

_'Alice, who's this?' My mother asked._

_'Jasper, my boyfriend. Jasper this is.' I paused, I didn't even know their names, but they answered for me, holding out their hands for him to shake. _

_'Alice, I think it would be best if you began packing when you get home.' Evelyn suggested._

_'What?' I asked my voice barely above a whisper, her next few words made my knees give out,_

_'Well, you are leaving in two days.' She said simply. I remember Jasper having to hold me up._

_"Don't I get to say goodbye?' I asked, my eyes flickering between the three of them._

_'We're sorry, but we really must get back, we left your sister with a babysitter.' The man answered._

_'Can't I take a later flight?' I was beginning to panic, it wasn't enough time. You guys were still at camp, and I-I couldn't say a goodbye like that over the phone." Alice said, quickly brushing away a tear that had fallen. I felt Edward stiffen beside me as she continued._

_"They explained that they had been so long without me they didn't want to wait any longer. I couldn't move or breath, my entire world was crashing down around me and I was still expected to keep going. I felt Jasper's arms encircle me as he said,_

_'Come on, Esme and Carlisle are waiting for you.' He tried to lead me out, but my feet were glued to the floor, finally he just picked me up and walked me to the car. Neither of us spoke on the ride home, and once we got there, he carried me inside. Esme was waiting at the door. Jasper told her I was going to need help packing, his voice was shaking and he set me on my feet. Esme's face was pale as she nodded her understanding. I asked why he wasn't staying, he just said he had to take care of something, then he kissed me on the forehead and left._

_Esme helped me up the stairs to my room and we silently began to pack together, neither of us moving especially quickly. After an hour we had only managed to pack a couple of outfits worth of clothes. My hands were shaking as I folded, finally I just resorted to throwing items haphazardly into the suitcase, only to have Esme take them out and fold them properly. Once we finished with the clothes, Esme went downstairs and grabbed some tissue paper for my pictures and trinkets. When she came back upstairs I asked her if I could be alone. She agreed and left the paper with me. I went around the room, taking all of the pictures down and wrapping them carefully before placing them in my suitcase. Once I finished that, I snuck off to your room Emmett. I swear it took me nearly half and hour to find what I was looking for," Alice said, she let out a humorless chuckle,_

_"But finally I found it your box of prized possessions, I opened it and took out what I was looking for. Your varsity letter for football. I had wanted to take a piece of you with me. I went into Edward's room and did the same. I grabbed the Debussy CD that Esme and Carlisle had given you when you were little. I took especial care as I wrapped them and placed them on top of my pile of stuff sitting in my suitcase._

_I stared at them both and I realized I couldn't handle it. I couldn't handle the idea of living with strange people in a strange house acting as if they were my family, I couldn't handle the idea of not seeing Jasper and Rose everyday, I couldn't handle not being with any of you for the rest of my life. I zipped the suitcase shut and went into the bathroom. There were still pieces of glass in the trash can from when I had broken my compact. I reached in carefully, it's actually funny how cautious I had been to not cut my fingers. I brought the piece of reflective glass to my wrist. I looked up to see myself staring back at me through the bathroom mirror. I turned away, unable to look at myself as I dragged the shard across the skin. It was so painful, I can still hear the sound of the blood dripping onto the tiled floor. I tried to switch the glass to the other hand, but I couldn't grasp it. I began to feel dizzy as I tried to hold myself up. I attempted to grab onto the sink for support, but I couldn't hold on and ultimately I fell to the ground as the blood formed a small pool under my wrist._

_'Alice. Alice!' I heard Esme call from downstairs before everything went dark." Alice finished and she pulled back a bracelet to reveal a straight line of puckered skin._

_"Why did you leave her?" Emmett whispered viciously, unable to tear his eyes away from his sister's wrist._

_"I had to." Jasper said quietly._

_"What could you have possibly _had_ to do?" Emmett asked, we all looked to Jasper._

_"I had to try. I had to find away for her to stay." Jasper said sadly. _

_"I went back. As soon as I dropped Alice off inside with Esme I got back in the car and drove back to the hotel. I told the desk clerk I needed to see the Brandons, he called up to their room and they came down. I managed to convince them to have coffee with me, so we could talk. We went across the street to the cafe,_

_'Is there a reason you need to talk to us?' Mr. Brandon asked once we sat down._

_'Yes, I am here to ask you not to take Alice.' I said boldly. They both stared at me wide eyed and open mouthed. Mrs. Brandon was the first to speak._

_'Out of the question, she is our daughter, we love her and we're taking her home.' She said forcefully. _

_'I'm afraid you're wrong on all counts. Firstly, she is not your daughter, yes biologically speaking she is, however you don't know her the way parents know their children. Do you know anything about her? Have you ever wished her a happy birthday? Called to see how she is doing? No, you haven't. Secondly, you don't love her. Love means caring about someone so much you would do anything to keep them happy no matter what it does to you. What you're doing, taking her away from everything she has known, that is for your benefit only. Thirdly, you are not taking her home, you are taking her to your place of residence. She is at home right now, with her mother, packing so she can move, against her will, to live with complete strangers. Mr. and Mrs. Brandon, if you take her away you will be setting her up for the worst failure anyone as ever know. Your daughter is a beautiful, shining light, capable of doing anything, but if you take her away the Alice that I know and love with all of my being will disappear.' I told them, trying as hard as I fucking could Emmett, to get them to let her stay._

_'We have spent our entire lives, since Mary was taken away, to get better for her so we could have her back.' Mr. Brandon said._

_'That's just it, you won't be getting her back. What you'll be sitting next to on that plane is an empty shell, devoid of any emotion or feeling, aside from pain. Now if that's what you want for the daughter you supposedly love, then so be it. Take her back.' Mr. Brandon opened his mouth to tell me off, but his wife stopped him._

_'I'd like to see my daughter.' She said. Both her husband and I stared at her shocked. I was finally able to nod. We payed for our drinks then I led them to the car. As with the ride back with Alice, no one said anything. When I pulled up to the house, they both stared at it in shock._

_'She lives here?' Mrs. Brandon asked as we walked up to the porch. I nodded and rang the bell. Esme answered the door._

_'Jasper, who's this?' She asked, I explained who they were and why they were there. She called up to Alice from the bottom of the stairs. There was no answer, she turned to look at me, I nodded and went upstairs to her room. I knocked on the door but there was no answer, I went in anyway. _

_I called out for her. She didn't answer. I looked to the bathroom, sticking out of the doorway on the ground was her hand. I walked over to the bathroom, God, I'll never forget that. Seeing her on the ground, a shard of glass in one hand, and all that-that blood. I yelled down to Esme to get Carlisle. I grabbed a towel and pressed it to her wrist, trying to staunch the blood still pouring from the open wound. Carlisle rushed into the room, he checked her pulse, and said we had to get her to the hospital. I picked her up, she was so light and frail, her skin was ice cold against mine as I carried her down the stairs. Esme screamed when she saw Alice in my arms, and Mr. and Mrs. Brandon just stared shocked as I carried her past them and out the door. I got into the back seat of Carlisle's car with Alice, while Esme took the Brandon's. I couldn't breathe as I looked down at her in my arms, trying to get her to wake up, but she wouldn't. Once we got there they placed her on a gurney and wheeled her out of my sight. I stood there in the hallway, leaning against the wall. Eventually Carlisle came out to talk to everyone. He said she was stable and that there was nothing left that he could do._

_All that was left to do was wait. I walked over to her room, staring through the window at her, praying silently that she would wake up, open her eyes and look over at me. I heard a pair of feet clacking down the hall, stopping next to me. I looked over to see Mrs. Brandon standing there and watching through the window._

_'We did this didn't we?' She asked sadly._

_'Yes, you did.' I said bluntly. _

_'I never meant this, I just wanted my daughter back." _

_'Well, now you might get her back in a box.' I said cruelly before turning away down the hall. _

_'Jasper!' I heard her call after me, I spun around. There were tears streaming down her face now as she looked up at me,_

_'I love my daughter, don't you for one moment think otherwise. I love her more than most mothers love their children. I wanted her home with me so I could show her that. In my determination to get her back, she became an object, some unattainable goal that I strived for, and once I was able to get it, all thoughts of her being a human with feelings went out the window. I knew she would be unhappy at first, but I always thought I could fix it. Even today, when I saw the pain and fear in her eyes as we told her we were moving, I didn't care. You were right earlier today, when you said I didn't love her, I love the idea of Alice, my long lost daughter finally returning home to me. Now I see the reality of it all, I am swooping in, ripping her from her home and trying to make her love me the way I love her, it's selfish, and as much as it hurts to say this, I can't hurt her anymore.' I remember staring down at her, not believing what I was hearing. She had come down here torn Alice apart and pushed her to suicide only to realize that she didn't really want Alice. I snapped._

_'That's very noble of you, but I'm sorry to say it doesn't matter anymore. The damage is done.' And I walked away. I found Esme and asked to borrow her car. She gave me the keys, and I drove myself home. I had to change out of the clothes I had been wearing, they still had blood all over them. I packed a bag of clothes as well before I headed back out of the door. When I got there Alice still hadn't woken up, Carlisle, Esme, and Mr. and Mrs. Brandon were in there with her, knowing my presence wouldn't be wanted I waited out in the lobby. After an hour or so I fell asleep. I didn't know how late it was when I was shaken awake. It was Esme and Carlisle,_

_'She's up.' Esme said with a smile, I sprung out of my seat, but Carlisle stopped me._

_'She's talking with her parents. It seems they've had a change of heart.' Carlisle had the biggest grin on his face._

_'And Alice is going to be okay?' I asked. They both nodded._

_'Do Edward and Emmett know?' I asked, _

_'Alice has requested that they know nothing about this.' Carlisle informed me. Which is why I could never tell you, I couldn't do that to Alice, you guys are my boys, but I couldn't" Jasper finished, looking ashamed. No one said anything, there was nothing to say. After a few moments of this Rosalie got up and hugged Alice. I did the same._

_"But why didn't _you_ tell us?" Rosalie asked Alice, who shrugged._

_"I didn't what you to worry." To this Rosalie laughed._

_"Because we're not doing that now." She said with a smile. Then her face became somber and she pulled Alice in for another hug._

_"Oh Alice." She said sadly._

_"Rose." Emmett said. Rosalie understood and released Alice so Emmett could hug her, and Edward after him. Then Emmett glared at Jasper before walking out of the room, taking a candle with him. We all watched him leave, Rosalie made to follow him, but Alice stopped her._

_"Let me go." She said before following her brother. It was just Edward, Jasper, Rosalie, and myself left. Jasper was watching Edward,_

_"Edward, I'm sorry, but I couldn't-" He began, but Edward held up a hand._

_"Don't. We're good. I understand you were just respecting Alice's wishes. Emmett will get it too, but you have to give him time. Alice is the most important thing in his life next to Rose. For him to find out something like this, the way he did, especially when his best friend knew, it's just hard on him." Edward said giving Jasper's shoulder a comforting squeeze, Jasper nodded._

_"Emmett McCarthy Cullen you're being an ass! _I_ told him not to tell you. He pleaded with me afterwards to tell you but _I_ didn't listen!" We heard Alice shout._

_"I don't care what you told him to do, he should have told me!" Emmett shouted back._

_"So that's what you want for me? Someone that doesn't do what I ask, doesn't listen to me?"_

_"That's not what I meant," Then his voice died down and we could no longer hear them. We waited in the living room for them to come back down. Eventually they made their way back down the stairs. Jasper got out of his seat_

_"Emmett, really I wanted-" And once again he was cut off,_

_"It's okay man." He said sincerely, pulling Jasper in for a man hug, as he did the power suddenly came back on. Emmett smiled._

_"Who's up for some video games?" He asked, all thoughts of resentment were gone._

End Flashback:

After that night August was soon upon us, it was already the first of the month. I was in Alice's room, finishing up one of her "impromptu" Bella Barbie makeovers, when Emmett called upstairs,

"Bella! Mikes here." At this Alice burst out laughing.

**IMPORTANT: Sry it took so long this weekend was my production weekend, so I haven't had any time at all to write, plus I have the stomach flu (yeah, during the musical, I was one of the leads, so I had to sing and dance all while trying not to hurl!!(not a pretty sight)) and to top it all off the website was having technical difficulties, so it wouldn't let me log on...seriously, i was ready to post ****FIVE EFFING DAYS AGO****, but it just kept saying, and i quote, "**Login/submission area is currently inaccessible due to a technical glitch. We apologize for the brief inconvenience. Please come back in a few minutes." **yeah, a few minutes my ass****!!! Errg!!! Seriously, once again you guys rocked my socks with your reviews and I couldnt even thank you properly!!!!!! Thanks again!!**

**Special Treat: 748 Reviews (total)**

**Sooner update: 758 reviews (total)**

**Next Update: February 29, 2009**


	38. Cherry Red and Blueberry Blue

**Holy shit on an alter, OMG I am so sry!! I tots spaced on updating, I'm writing another fan fic and I kinda got absorbed in it! whoops, I didn't even realize that not only did you guys go above and beyond the call of reviewing duty its also the update date doesn't exist and if it did I'm late. SRY!!! To make it up to you I'm doing one and a half chapters! This one goes out to ****Creative.**** I thankfully (no offense to your religion) don't partake in lent so I didn't have to give anything up, but I'm sure you can make it!!**

**xoxo, DeViNeRoSe**

**I Own none of the characters.... nor do i own christian bale(which makes me really sad)**

I looked up at Alice in horror, she was still giggling.

"But-but- Alice!" I sputtered finally just shouting her name. She laughed even harder before yelling,

"She'll be right down!"

"Psh like hell I will." I objected

"Do you really want to be ridiculed by the boys for the rest of your life because you backed out of a bet, which as far as bet consequences go isn't really that bad?" She asked, I reluctantly shook my head.

"But how?" I asked still slightly stunned.

"The boys stole your phone and texted Mike asking if he wanted to hang-hang out." She was so beside herself with laughter she could neither finish her sentence nor hold herself up as she plopped onto the bed.

"Alice, this isn't funny!" I groaned as I checked myself in the mirror. As always after an Alice makeover, I looked amazing. She had really gone over board this time, I was wearing deep red lipstick and my eyes were smokey, suffice to say I looked hot, definitely Edward worthy. I shuddered at the thought of Mike thinking I had done this for him. I immediately wiped off the lipstick to the best of my ability, leaving my lips slightly red, but not as sultry as before. Alice let out a small cry as she noticed what I was doing, but I ignored it and went to the bathroom, running a wash cloth under the sink water. I brought it up to my eye, but before I could begin clearing away the smokey make up Alice appeared in the doorway,

"You wouldn't dare, not after I spent the last hour working on that." She said menacingly, I just smiled at her and began wiping off the charcoal. I finally managed to get all of that off too, I left the foundation on and applied some chap stick to my lips.

"You are so going to pay for this Bella." Alice seethed as I went past her back into her room. I slapped on the baseball cap I had worn to their house to make myself look even more casual, before I put on my wind breaker,

"I'll take my chances Alice." I said and then headed downstairs. Mike was standing in the hallway with Emmett and Jasper standing on either side of him. It was rather humorous watching his eyes flicker in fear between the two boys standing on either side of him.

"Ah, Bells, there you are." Emmett said grinning up at me. Mike just looked relieved as he smiled up at me.

"Hey Bella, ready to go?" Mike asked.

"Yep."

"See ya Sis." Emmett said pulling me into a hug.

"You are so lucky Edward isn't here." I whispered.

"Who do you think texted Newton?" Emmett said with a grin as he set me down. I felt my jaw drop as Emmett and Jasper pushed us out the door.

"I'm going to-" I began.

"Bye bye." Jasper called cutting me off.

"You kids have a nice night," Emmett shouted chipperly, "Oh and Mike, if anything happens to her so help me God I will hunt you down." Emmett said still smiling. Mike laughed nervously, his hands were shaking as he opened my door. I rolled my eyes at Emmett who was on the porch with Jasper, the two of them leaning on each other and laughing.

"Protective isn't he?" Mike asked as he climbed into the car.

"Yeah, I'm his make shift little sister, been like that since day one." I said as he drove out of the drive way.

"That's nice." He said with a nod as we pulled out onto the main road.

"So what's our plan?" I asked having absolutely no idea what Edward the traitor had told him. To be clear, I didn't care in any way, shape, or form that Edward had been the one to text Mike. What I was pissed about was the fact I had been given absolutely no warning at all, thereby giving me no time to prepare. Alice had me looking like I was going on a date with Edward where I was actually trying to seduce him, not like I was going to hang out with Mike Newton. So my being mad at Edward was, in my point of view, beyond understandable.

"I was thinking we could do a movie, if that was cool with you. If it isn't we could do something else, whatever works for-" He began rambling, he was so eager to keep me happy I felt really bad,

"Mike!" I said loudly with a laugh, "A movie is fine. Did you have a particular one in mind?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah, the new Batman movie came out last week, and there is a showing of it at 7:10, you good?" He asked unsure.

"Works for me." I said reassuringly.

"Good. To be honest, I'm actually surprised you called." He said.

"Oh, I figured I hadn't seen you in a while." I said with a shrug, as if it was no big deal.

"Well, I'm glad you did." He said sincerely, in a way that made me slightly nervous about what he thought this was.

"Anyway, did you see the first Batman?" I asked changing the subject.

"Did I ever." Mike started and we spent the remainder of the car ride talking about Batman Begins and Christian Bale. However it didn't last long, the ten minute car ride was over quickly. Being a Tuesday night, one that was hotter than most this summer, the movie theatre was sparse when it came to customers. Mike and I went inside to the ticket booth, I started to get out my money but Mike stopped me.

"I'll get the tickets you get the popcorn." He suggested, I nodded.

"Two for the Dark Knight please." He said before handing the money over in exchange for the tickets, then we made our way over to the concession stand. We each got our own popcorn as well as a box of Buncha Crunch for me, Twizzlers for Mike, and of course two large cherry slushies. Once bogged down with munchies we made our way to the theater. It wasn't to packed just like in the lobby, Mike lead us to the middle of the seats, the perfect spot. We arrived just in time for the previews. They lasted 15 minutes and as always with movie previews our popcorn and slushies were half way finished by the time the movie actually started. So it was understandable that a quarter of the way through the movie Mike excused himself to the bathroom. But when he came back he didn't look so good, I saw the light from the movie reflect against a light sheen of sweat covering his face.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." He said sitting back down. We continued to watch the movie, after another hour Mike excused himself to the bathroom again. When he didn't come back I got worried, I grabbed my jacket and exited the theatre only to find him seated on a bench outside the bathroom. His face was green and he was clutching his stomach, I walked over to him.

"Mike, are you okay?" I asked, placing a hand on his forehead.

"I'm not feeling so hot."

"To the contrary, you're burning up." I said.

"Yeah I think I'm sick." He said and he attempted a smile.

"Were you throwing up?" I asked concerned. He nodded.

"Okay, we have to get you home. Wait here, I'm just going to get our stuff, okay?" He nodded again and I left him to run inside. I didn't want to leave him alone but we needed our stuff. I didn't bother to get the food, I just grabbed his coat and ran back out. Feeling quite guilty, but knowing the staff would rather have to deal with trash compared to Mike's puke. When I got back to him he was slumped over on the bench. I put him in his coat, and helped him stand, by wrapping one of his arms around my shoulders.

We went over to the concession stand where I asked the attendant for an empty popcorn bucket. He took one look at Mike and thrust the bucket at him without question. I thanked him and left. I leaned Mike against the back seat door as I opened the passenger side door for him. He climbed in, his feet hanging out of the car as he sat facing me.

"Mike, where are the keys?" I asked, he opened his mouth to answer, but the look of shock and fear that crossed his face told me words wouldn't be coming out. Instead a flow of bright red puke came spewing out of his mouth to land on the ground in front of me. I had backed up in enough time for it to not land directly on me, but it still splattered on my shoes and bare calfs. We both froze in shock.

"Oh, Bella- I- I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry." Mike stammered.

"It's fine Mike, not the end of the world, now why don't you give me the keys." He nodded this time and fished the keys from his pocket handing them to me. I took them and grabbed some napkins from the glove compartment before shutting his door. I used the napkins to wipe the puke from my legs, then jumped into the driver's seat. Mike instructed me how to get to his house. I explained to him that I was going to drive him home then use his car to drive myself home, telling him I would drop it off in the morning. Thankfully we passed my house on the way to his so I knew how to get back.

"Turn here." He said pointing to a side street. I turned where he told me to, onto a street lined with houses. He pointed to the blue one in the middle, I pulled into the driveway and turned off the car. I got out and went to his side.

"Alrighty, Mike, here we go." I said pulling him out of the car slowly, once again resting him against the side of the car as I grabbed the empty bucket and handed it to him. He leaned against me and we made our way up to his house.

"I'm really sorry about all of this Bella." He groaned.

"Why, it's not like you chose to get sick, you don't have to apologize Mike, it's okay." I said sincerely,

"To be honest, aside from the puking, I had a really fun time tonight." To this he smiled down at me, a look of triumph etched on his face. I knocked on his front door. His mother answered, she was clad in an apron and sweat clothes, her hair pulled back in a bun.

"Hi, Mrs. Newton." I said, unsure of what else I could say.

"Dear me, what happened?" She asked looking between Mike and me.

"He got sick, I think he has a fever."

"Why don't you come in, we can put him on the couch." She said, I led him over to the couch, laying him down, with the bucket on the floor by his head.

"Thank you," Mrs. Newton said, trailing off,

"Bella." I said holding out my hand, she smiled and shook it.

"Well, I better get home, but I'll be by tomorrow, to return the car and to check up on you." I said to the both of them. Mike smiled and Mrs. Newton nodded.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea." She said with a smile then walked me out.

"Bye Mike." I called from the doorway.

"Bye Bella." He shouted back feebly.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as I got home, I kicked off my shoes and left them out side seeing as they were still covered in red spots. Then I went straight to the bathroom, Charlie was away on another overnight fishing trip for the weekend. I stripped down to nothing, throwing my clothes into the hamper, quite tempted to burn them. I blasted the hot water and scrubbed until I was sufficiently clean, even going so far as to shaving my legs to make sure any trace of throw up were gone.

I went into my room, opening my top drawer, where my pajamas usually are, to find it empty. This being an utter and complete shock to me, I opened the next drawer, once again it was empty. I checked all of the drawers, each was devoid of all clothing. I was beginning to panic, all of my clothes were gone, with the exception of the clothes I had worn tonight, the clothes I had no intentions of ever wearing again. Lastly I checked my closet, everything was gone from there as well, with the exception of three items I had never seen before, one was a dark blue spaghetti strap slip, just long enough to cover my bum, with a caramel colored lace hem both on the bottom and on the top. The other was a pair of underwear of the same color, that also had the lace along the top and a matching bra. I pulled them out of the closet, attached to the top was a note that read;

_How are you feeling now about those chances? I told you so- AC_

I threw the pieces of silken fabric onto my bed and used my phone to call Alice. She answered on the third ring.

"Hi Bella."

"Alice, where are my clothes?" I asked trying to remain calm.

"What are you talking about?" She asked innocently.

"Alice knock it off I know you took my clothes, where are they?" I asked through my teeth.

"Here." She said simply.

"Here? As in at your house? Alice!" I groaned.

"Don't worry, I'll give it back tomorrow." She said nonchalantly.

"What am I supposed to wear _tonight_?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure I left something for you to wear." She said, and I could tell she was smiling.

"What you left Alice is not an article of clothing." I said.

"Tough luck, I warned you. Oh and you might want to put it on, my brother left for your house five minutes ago. Bye Bella!" She said before hanging up. I quickly shut my phone, unzipped the slip and yanked on the only article of clothing I had currently to my name. When I pulled it on the solid blue of the slip only just covered my butt, while the see through lace trim continued a little bit longer to graze the skin a couple of inches above mid thigh. I had just pulled down the dress completely but had yet to reach the zipper when I heard the window behind me open and Edward climbed in.

"God I missed you today Bel-" He stopped talking when he saw me, I looked over my shoulder at him. His eyes raked up and down my body hungrily, lingering on my completely exposed back,

"Could you help me?" I asked, gesturing to my unzipped back. He nodded and made his way over to me, but instead of immediately going for the zipper, his hands latched onto my hips, and he yanked me into him. I felt the skin of my exposed back graze harshly against the zipper on his sweatshirt, and his lips attach themselves to my neck. I let out a gasp as I dropped my head to the side, giving him much better access. His hands began to slowly massage my hips,

"Edward." I breathed,

"Yes, Love?" He asked between kisses.

"Zipper." I whispered.

"Right." Edward said. Then I felt his lips on the back of my neck, he began to kiss his way down the middle of my back until he was on his knees behind me, just at the level of the zipper.

"Bella." He breathed against the skin of my lower back, I felt my stomach clench. His hands were resting on my ankles, and I felt him take the zipper in his mouth. He slowly began to zip up the slip using only his teeth as his hands slid their way up the outside of my legs just as slowly. Finally he was standing up straight, the zipper completely zipped. He spun me around, the fabric of the slip still bunched up above his hands, which were now resting on my hips. He backed me up so I was flush with the door which had slammed shut underneath me. I groaned at the feeling,

"Edward." I moaned slightly and without thinking my hands went straight to the zipper of his sweatshirt. I pulled it down, exposing his bare, muscled torso. He briefly let go of me so I could push his sweatshirt off.

"Mmhh, Bella I missed you this afternoon." He whispered as his lips went to my neck. This afternoon? What happened this after-Mike! And everything from this evening came rushing back to me, including Edward's treachery. I pushed him backwards, from the shock he stumbled back a little bit. He took a step towards me,

"You, don't you come near me. I can't even begin to express how pissed I am at you." I said pointing a finger at him, still breathing heavily from our previous activities. He froze, a look of shock on his face.

"Me, what did I do?" Edward asked.

"Oh, I don't know, set me up on a date with someone else, _without telling me_. I think that that is a sufficient enough reason to be upset with you." I said angrily. Albeit my reaction was over the top, but I was pissed.

"Aww Bella, I couldn't tell you." He said with my favorite crooked smile, he was trying to worm his way out of my wrath, but I knew better, after everything I had been through earlier, it was safe to say I was out for blood.

"Don't you dare even go there. You couldn't tell me? Are you _serious_ Edward. Do you have any idea what my day has been like thanks to you? First I find out I'm going on a date with Mike, then I invoke Alice's wrath by wiping off some make up, which lead her to sneak in and take all of my clothes, leaving me this," I gestured to the slip I was in, he once again looked me up and down appraisingly,

"Then I get to the movies where it turns out Mike has some sort of stomach bug so I was forced to leave with him, having to half carry him out to the parking lot where he _threw up on me_! Then I had to drive him home! And you wonder why I'm pissed at you?" I asked sarcastically once I finished my rant. Edward just smirked at me.

"You done?" He asked.

"No, I'm not-" I was cut off by his lips forcefully attacking mine. Edward placed a hand against the door on either side of my face as he continued to kiss me. I couldn't think as I opened my mouth for him, his tongue immediately sought dominance which I gave willingly. He continued to kiss all of my sense and anger away, regardless of the fact that I still wanted to be mad at him. His hands moved down to my hips and pulled me tight against him. I moaned into his mouth and pulled away only to attack his neck with my lips. I used the tip of my tongue to lick a thin trail from the base of his neck to the bottom of his ear, he let out a breathy moan,

"Edward, this changes nothing." I pulled away and I glared at him before I pushed past him, pulled back the covers, switched off the lights, and climbed into bed, leaving him standing there bewildered in the dark. It was a while before he actually regained conscious movement, I smiled secretly to my self at the idea of being able to stun him the way he did me. Finally he actually moved, climbing into bed behind me. I was curled up on my side, trying to ignore his presence, then I felt his fingers on my upper thigh through the light blanket, he was tracing a pattern on my skin aimlessly.

I swatted his hand away, and then snuggled back into my position. Edward's fingers began again, I made to swat them away once more, only this time, his hand caught my wrist.

"Edward." I said warningly, but he didn't care, he pulled me back so I was lying on top of him, then before I could push myself off of him he rolled us over so I was under him.

"Bella, I'm sorry about Newton." He tried to say, but I wouldn't listen.

"I don't believe-" He cut me off by pressing his lips to mine, when he pulled away he whispered,

"I'm sorry." Then he kissed my neck,

"I'm sorry." He said again, his method vaguely reminded me of our moment in the meadow when he said he loved me. His lips were now against the base of my neck as he whispered once again that he was sorry. With each whisper I felt my anger die out,

"Okay, okay I get it you're sorry, now would you just kiss me already." I said softly with a smile. He smiled back at me and he slowly lowered his lips to mine.

**Like i said, chap and a half, so the rest of this one comes next(i.e fun in bed with scantily clad characters) !!!! so review, and btw we're coming up on the end of this story (not really, we still have like 7/8 chaps to go, poss 9/10, idk I has to check) so please review it makes me happy........I have no idea why i told you how much is left.....o well, that's life. REVIEW PLEASE!!!!.......o wait now I remember, ok, so we are currently at 765 reviews and was thinking that it would kinda make my day if you guys could poss do a thousand by the time the story is over, keep in mind, I won't judge if you don't, but it would really make my day if you did, and I know you guys have it in you so.......please???**

**Sooner update: 785 reviews (total)**

**Next update: March 9, 2009**


	39. School

**Hey everyone! Don't mean to bitch, but is anyone else upset at Rob for being upset that he's not in New Moon enough?? I mean seriously, you can't change the book just you want a little more screen time. Bitching done. So this one goes out to ****fanpire!****-seriously, thank you, I thought that that was the nicest thing ever.**

**xoxo, d3vin3ros3**

**I own nothing...........dammit**

I could feel Edward's kiss in my toes, as I fought a war of dominance against his tongue before finally giving in.

"Edward," I moaned into his mouth, he settled himself between my legs yet was careful not to crush me under his weight as we continued to kiss. His hands went to my hips, and he rolled us so I was now on top of him. I felt my dress slid up as I pressed myself into him, he moaned and one of his hands moved from my hip to tangle itself in my hair, holding me in place. Then he detached his lips and turned my head to the side before going after my neck.

I felt my eyes drift close, and I tried to keep my arms steady, but they just buckled from beneath me and I collapsed fully on top of him. Edward didn't seem troubled by it and he just continued to ravish my neck with his lips. His other hand began to move downward to the middle of my bare thigh. He squeezed it gently, then pulled it onto the other side of his leg, I followed his lead with my other leg so I was now straddling him. Edward's hand moved back up my up my thigh, but instead of stopping at my hip, it trailed up the middle of my back, to the top of my freshly zipped dress. His fingers lingered on the zipper for a while before they grasped it and slowly began to pull it down.

My breathing was ragged, but I didn't stop him as he unzipped the dress. Edward's fingers dragged lightly up and down my exposed back, and his lips kissed their way to mine. The hand that had been in my hair traced down my neck to my shoulder, his index finger gracefully hooking itself under the strap which was then pushed off my shoulder. His other hand did the same to the other side, I moved my arms so he could slid the straps down them, I could feel my heart thudding in my chest and I'm sure he could too.

His hands then went to then very top of my thighs where the hem of the dress was sitting. Eyes locked on mine he began to pull it up slowly, past my hips, up my stomach, his fingers grazing the sides of my breasts and I lifted my arms up so he could pull the entire thing off, leaving me straddled on top of him in nothing but a bra and underwear.

Neither of us said anything as Edward's eyes instinctively looked me up and down, saying nothing, just staring at me. I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment at his speechlessness, I quickly scrambled for the slip, but Edward's hands locked around mine.

"No Bella, you're beautiful." Then his lips crashed back on my as his hands groped my bare skin, drinking in the feeling as he held me tighter to his muscled chest. As our kisses became more fervent I began to slowly realize what we were doing and what it could lead to,

"Edward wait, I-I'm." I began to stutter trying to catch my focus, but finding it to be impossible with our current position. However he seemed to understand and immediately stopped. I took a deep breath before continuing,

"It's not that I don't want to but," Edward's wide smile made my voice trail off,

"Bella, I'm not ready for that either." He said simply. I stared at him wide eyed,

"You mean you didn't want- we weren't-" I stammered. He began to laugh softly, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but this is about as far as I was planning to take it." Edward said and he reached up to kiss me again. I couldn't help but smile down at him, most of the boys I knew would have taken any girl in this predicament, but Edward was so much more than them, I couldn't help but be proud that he was mine. We spent the next few minutes kissing before he declared it was time for me to get my rest. He handed me the slip, but I held up a hand,

"I like the way you feel against me." I said softly, blushing like crazy at the boldness of my words. But instead Edward just smiled and pulled me into him before yanking the covers up.

"I love you." He whispered in my ear.

"I love you." I whispered back and we both drifted off to sleep.

___________________________________

I awoke as I always did, curled into Edward's side, my arm slung around his waist, his arm around my shoulders and his hand absentmindedly stroking my hair.

"Morning." I whispered looking up at him. He smiled back down at me,

"Good morning Love." He said softly. I opened m mouth to speak but was cut off by his phone ringing. He groaned.

"Hold on." He said as he kissed my temple and reached for his phone. He flipped it open, the screaming on the other end made us both jump.

"Alice?" He asked when the screaming stopped. She began talking, then he bolted upright.

"What?" He asked shocked. I sat up as well, leaning against his back, my arms around his waist as he continued his conversation.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes." Edward assured before hanging up. The phone plopped on the bed in front of his as he sat silently staring at it. Then he turned to look at me, grinning like a fool,

"I got it." He said softly. My puzzled expression was ignored and he just said,

"I got it." Only a little louder and this time he sprung off the bed with me in his arms. Twirling us around in some step-less dance that consisted of nothing but spinning. I laughed,

"I got it!" He shouted before hugging me then sitting me down on the edge of the bed.

"And what did you get?" I asked curiously, still smiling.

"At the beginning of the summer, before you got here, I applied for a year long internship at the hospital. As you know the hospital is rather prestigious so for me to get this out of the hundreds that applied is just, well, I can't even describe it." He said breathlessly.

"I'm so happy for you." I said pressing a hand to his cheek. He kissed it,

"Bella, do you know what this means?" He asked. I shook my head,

"It means, that if I do well in this program, there is a chance that I could get into whatever college I wanted. An honor like this is rare in students, Bella, with the proper recommendations, I could be set for college." He said running a hand through his hair, almost astounded by the notion.

"Of course it will be mind consuming work, that very well might just suck the life out of me, but what job these days doesn't. I can't wait to tell Esme and Carlisle." He said eagerly, I smiled even wider, his childlike amazement was shining through,

"I'm so proud of you Edward." I said sincerely.

"Thank you." He said pulling me to my feet and hugging me. We stood there for a while until Edward broke the silence,

"Do you want to come over with me?" He asked, I felt honored that he would want to share this with me,

" You should have time to celebrate this with your family first."

"What do you think you are?" Edward asked smiling that crooked smile that would forever be my undoing.

"Yes, I know, but I really do think you should have some quality time with your immediate family. BUt don't doubt that I'll come by later. Charlie's coming home today so I have to clean up anyways, plus I have to bring Mike his car. So I'll be plenty busy." I said pressing a kiss to his chin. He agreed reluctantly, but agreed nonetheless. After a little while longer together I shooed him out the door.

It didn't take long to tidy the house and put the fixing for beef stew in the Crock Pot to cook for Charlie's and my dinner. Most of my time during the day was spent returning Mike's car, although it was rather amusing. I ended up having lunch with his mother who insisted I had to have a meal for all the help I had given them and afterwards she drove me back to the house where I got into Charlie's rental and drove myself over to the Cullen's. When I got there the front door was unlocked so I let myself in, not wanting to trouble anyone.

"Hey Emmett." I said as I entered the kitchen.

"Bells, what are you doing here?" He asked with a smile getting up from his seat to give me a hug.

"I couldn't come earlier because I had to clean up, plus I didn't want to intrude on the moment."

"Moment?" He asked puzzled.

"Yeah, I figured you guys would want to just have some time to yourselves as a family." I explained as I had explained earlier to Edward, receiving the same response,

"Bella, you are aware of the fact that you're already family?" He asked sincerely, I smiled.

"Thanks Emmett. Where is everyone anyway?" I asked looking around seeing no one.

"After Edward came home and got his congratulations from everyone, Esme and Alice headed off to the store to pick up some things for a celebratory dinner tonight." He explained as he made his way over to the fridge.

"Thirsty?" He asked pulling out a bottle of Coke.

"Yeah. Thanks." I said, pulling out a stool next to Emmett's. I looked over at what he had been focusing on.

"Emmett, what's this?" I asked looking down at the stack of books he had.

"Oh that, just some stuff for next year." I looked down at the "stuff", There was a book on Vector Calculus, and one on Engineering. Next to the books was an open note book filled with mathematical drawings and symbols that I could barely understand, along with intricate sketches of bridges and skyscrapers I had never seen before.

"Emmett these are amazing." I complemented looking more carefully at his drawings.

"Thank you." He said returning to his seat and handing me my glass of coke. I quickly moved it to the other side of my body, just in case my clumsy self managed to knock it over, it wouldn't spill on his work. Emmett noticed this and laughed.

"Oh Bella, is that really necessary?" He asked with a smile.

"Rather safe than sorry." I said with a shrug, he nodded his agreement. "So where did you get the ideas for these?" I asked, looking at a particularly fascinating design of a building.

"Just in class, whenever I'm bored, I doodle, this one," He said pointing to the one I was looking at,

"Is the end result of my English teacher rambling about how important it is to pay attention in class, ironic really." He said with a smile.

"Wow, Emmett." I said, still staring at it.

"Pshh, that's nothing," He said, then he reached into a bag that was under his chair and pulled out a binder which he handed to me. I opened it, inside were multiple cover slips, inside each was a different drawing, only the drawings were also inked and colored. Bridges and buildings, along with sculptures,

"How did you decide you wanted to do this?" I asked awed by his talent.

"I have no idea, I guess the idea of doodling for the rest of my life seemed pretty appealing, that and I kinda have a passion for math and the mathematics that come with building things of this scale." He said with a shrug.

"That's really cool Emmett."

"Well, now that you know mine, show me yours. What do you want to be?" He asked seriously, I took a sip of my Coke before I answered.

"An English teacher, preferably on the High School or College level, and in my spare time I want to write."

"See, I can totally and completely see that. Where did you have in mind for college?" He asked, putting away his text books,

"I really, really like Dartmouth, but I don't think I could venture that far away from home." I said honestly,

"Dartmouth's not too far from here though, so if you did come you'd have family near by." He said sweetly, putting his arm around my shoulders comfortingly. I smiled,

"Speaking of family, is Edward around?" I asked

"Missing your lover boy already?" He asked with a knowing smile, I nodded sheepish. He laughed,

"He's upstairs with Carlisle, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind the interruption, you can go right up. I think they're in Carlisle's office."

"I'll be back." I said before I went up the stairs still smiling from my conversation with Emmett. When I arrived at Carlisle's office his voice was flowing out from a crack between the door and the door frame. I was about to knock when I heard what Carlisle was saying.

"Edward, being with Bella, now is fine, but are you aware of the distraction she will prove to be once you start? You will be doing 16 hours days, plus homework, and any work you have from the hospital, having any form of relationship would be detrimental to your plans." Carlisle said.

"So what would you have me do?" Edward asked, I could hear his voice clearly enough to sense the anger in it.

"Edward, I know how much you care for Bella, I really do, but I think it would be best if you," His words trailed off as I back away from the door, I didn't want to hear the rest Carlisle's response. If I heard those words spoken aloud I would lose all sense of sanity. I clapped a hand over my mouth to keep from making any noise, and I quickly made my way back down the stairs, stopping in the bathroom to brush away the few tears that had fallen. I managed to somewhat collect before reentering the kitchen.

"They seemed pretty into their conversation, so it looks like you're stuck with me until they're done."

"You okay Bells?" Emmett asked once he caught sight of me. No, I was the farthest thing from 'okay', the love of my life's father was trying to convince him that staying with me was a bad idea.

"Yeah, I'm fine I just didn't get much sleep last night." I lied.

"Whatever you say, wanna come doodle with me?" He asked not pressing the subject, even though I could tell he knew I was lying. I nodded and joined him again at the table and we doodled the time away until a cheery Edward made his way down the stairs. His previous talk with Carlisle obviously had no effect on him.

"Bella, what are you doing here?" He asked when he saw me at the table.

"I told you I'd come over." I said smiling, he smiled back and pulled me into a hug. When he pulled away I was glad that he was so distracted by his exciting news he didn't notice the pain and fear hiding in my eyes.

**REVIEW!!! wow this isn't terse or anything.**

**Sooner update: 819 reviews (total)**

**Next update: March 13, 2009**


	40. Inevitable

**Hey everyone! The back of the dress is the only thing I found from a pic(the bunching at the bottom was all me)- it's on my profile!! Dedication at the end-it has ch. spoiler in it!! (not proofed yet, me tired- 2:09 am(on a tuesday night(well wednesday morning))**

**XOXO, DEVINEROSE**

**Still don't own anything....**

"The girls aren't back yet?" Edward asked Emmett and me, before either of us could answer we heard the front door open,

"Hello?" Esme called to the house. "We're home." The three of us made our way out into the hallway to greet them. Both Esme and Alice were bogged down with an innumerable amount of grocery bags, and Esme was holding a single white garment bag. Edward, Emmett, and I stared open mouthed at the amount of stuff they were able to carry.

"Boys, you're going to catch more flies with honey than with the smell of your breath, now, a hand please?" Esme said gesturing to hers and Alice's bags expectantly. The boys immediately rushed to her side taking the bags from her before I could lend a hand.

"Ma, why don't you hire someone to do this for you?" Emmett asked taking the last of the bags from her.

"One, it's a waste of hard earned money, and two, I have you and your brother." She said, ruffling Emmett's hair.

"Are there any more bags in the car I could grab?" I asked wanting to be helpful.

"Yes, there are, but I'm sure they can handle it, right boys?" She called,

"Yes, Mom." They both called.

"I actually need you for something else anyway." Esme informed me. Edward then reached for the garment bag, the last thing left in her hands.

"No honey, I've got this, it's for Bella anyway." She said smiling at me.

"For me?" I looked between her and Alice, both nodded.

"It's perfect you're here, now you can try it on!" Alice said clapping her hands together before leading me up the stairs. Esme followed behind us, telling Edward to unpack the groceries and when was done helping me she'd start on dinner.

"Oh Bella you're going to love it, Esme wore it a couple of years ago, but it's still so pretty!" She dragged me down the second floor corridor, past her room and Emmett's to a door at the end of the hallway. I had never seen Esme and Carlisle's room and when Alice opened the door I was blown away. It was much larger than the other bedrooms in the house. There was a king sized bed against the middle of the wall opposite the door with a bedside table on either side. In one corner, next to the glass wall, was a couch with a coffee table in front of it and a comfortable looking chair across from it.

The room looked so clean and kemp, but there was a sense of comfort that I felt being in it. Esme walked in behind us to the far corner where there was a door, she opened it and went in.

"Come on girls." She called. Alice led me in after Esme,

"Esme, your room is lovely." I complemented.

"Thank you." She replied as I turned the corner. The room we were now in, yes room, was a giant walk in closet. The wall that the door had split in two had in wall drawers and I could only imagine were filled with the most expensive beautiful clothes. Each side of the closet was lined with clothes on hangers, an array of colors, each trying to gain my attention. Against the back wall was a three way mirror whose middle panel was attached to the wall while the other two were free to move, affording the best view. In front of this was a raised platform to stand on, like those in designer dressing rooms. Esme hung my garment bag up on the hook next to the mirror,

"So you see Bella," she began, her back to me as she unzipped the bag,

"The problem was we ordered our dresses early in the summer, before you got there. It wasn't until they arrived last week that I would have nothing for you to wear. I did try to see if they could maybe make one for you, but on such short notice I'm afraid that was out of the question. Alice and I spent most of yesterday trying to find something for you then, thankfully Alice had the idea that you could wear this one," Esme said turning around with the dress in hand. It was a beautiful deep royal blue dress, the fabric was sleek and thin as it flowed from the hanger over her arm and rippled to the floor like water.

"As Alice said I have worn it," She said regretfully, "But its still in excellent condition, and I assure you it's in pristine condition."

"Esme, it's incredible." Then I tore my eyes away from the dress to look up at her.

"I-I couldn't." I protested, Esme shook her head laughing.

"Nonsense Bella, you can and you will, otherwise my daughter and I will have to use brute strength." Esme said with a sly smile.

"Brute strength as in, we get Emmett and Edward to hold you down while mom and I have to force you into the dress." Alice said taking a seat in the chair next to the mirrors.

"Now are you going to strip or do I have to call my sons up here?" Esme asked innocently. I did as told not wanting the embarrassment that came along with being held down by Emmett and Edward. Once my clothes had been removed, Esme helped me into the dress then up onto the platform. I was lost for words when I saw myself in the mirror. The deep blue color of the silky fabric made my pale skin shimmer like porcelain in the moonlight instead of a piece of a piece of paper under a fluorescent.

The silk v-neck front hugged my body completely, then at the waist it just fell straight to the floor pooling around me. I turned to the side to examine the back, the straps hooked together forming an X between my shoulder blades, before connecting farther down to the sides of the dress. To keep the sides from falling forward the fabric bunched slightly at my lower back, also giving me the hint of a butt. No one said anything, making the moment seem all the more magical. There I was, all thoughts of the end of the summer, Carlisle's words, Edward's future went out the window as I stared at myself in that simple blue dress. I felt special.

"Bella," Esme said softly, breaking the silence, "You look stunning."

"Should we bring the hem line up a bit?" Alice asked.

"No, no, please," I protested, "It's perfect just the way it is." I breathed still looking at myself.

"Um, I don't mean to be rude, but, what's this for?" I asked, Alice and Esme looked at each other shocked.

"He didn't ask you?" Esme asked astounded. I shook my head.

"Well, the hospital where Carlisle works is holding a benefit in his honor. They do it every year for a doctor who has excelled in his job during the course of the year." She said proudly.

"That's amazing."

"Yes it is, we're all very proud of him. Anyway, we received tickets for the family and each was allowed to bring a guest. I had expected Edward to invite you. Now Alice why don't you help Bella out of that dress while I go and scold your brother for his lack of simple manners." She said before exiting. Alice and I laughed and she helped me out of the dress.

"I can't wait for my brother go non verbal when he sees you." She said with a wide smile and we exited the closet together. Everyone was still in the kitchen when we got downstairs, Emmett was unloading groceries and Esme had her back to us and was talking to Edward.

"After everything I have taught you, I can't believe you did not ask her. You need to." Esme scolded. Edward looked over her shoulder to see me and he smiled.

"Okay Mom. Hey Bella, want to go to the benefit with me?" He half shouted from his place across the kitchen. Obviously doing this to get a rise out of his mother. Before I could answer him, she spoke,

"Properly young man." Esme said and I didn't have to see her eyes to know she was upset. Edward nodded then crossed the kitchen slowly to me, taking my hands in his as he kneeled in front of me.

"Bella, Bella, my sweet, beautiful, darling, Bella. Woman of my dreams, would you grace me with your presence beside me at Carlisle's Benefit?" The both of us were trying our hardest not to laugh.

"Boys." Esme said rolling her eyes and shaking her head

"Well, at least he asked you, my job here is done." She said as she went over to the pantry.

"Asked who what?" Carlisle asked as he entered the kitchen.

"Edward asked Bella to the benefit and she said yes." Alice informed him dutifully.

"That's wonderful. I'm so glad you'll be joining us." Carlisle complemented, I smile my thanks as Alice began talking to me rapidly, at first I paid attention until I noticed Carlisle gesture to me to edward before giving him a loaded look, to which Edward nodded, the Carlisle exited. I felt my heart race from the fear and found myself unable to listen to Alice's eager ramblings as Carlisle exited the kitchen.

"Alice, I need to talk to Bella now, could you give us a moment?" Edward asked, his voice grave. I found myself to be incapable of moving at the tone in his voice. I agreed to whatever Alice had asked me, I had only caught snippets of the conversation anyway, something about costumes and August. When I responded she jumped up and down in excitement before running up the stairs.

My hands were shaking as I looked back up to Edward slowly. My throat closed up at the sight of his somber face.

"Can we talk?" He asked. I panicked searching my mind for even the slightest excuse to put this off.

"Um-I- Uh, nows not the best time Charlie's going to be back soon, so I have to get everything ready." I finished lamely, he looked down at me puzzled then nodded.

"Ok, well we can talk when I come over tonight." He said, I felt my heart plummet, there was no getting out of this, we would have "the talk" eventually, despite my efforts to avoid it. It was like the Civil War, or the Bubonic plague, or the most simple explanation, the fear of knowing that my heart would soon be ripped from my chest. There was no stopping it.

I tried not to break down on the car ride home.

___________________________________________

The evening passed by more quickly then I had wanted. The feeling in the pit of my stomach was like when you're little, and you get in trouble at school. The school calls your parents early on and you have to wait out the entire day not knowing what your parents are going to do to you when you get home. Charlie asked multiple times if I was okay, I appeased him by saying I was just tired. He proceeded to tell me about his weekend, all the fish he had caught and the nice people he had met. I tried to be as happy as possible for him and it seemed to work, he no longer questioned my mood. Finally we finished dinner, and seeing as he was still beat from fishing Charlie headed right up to bed.

I did the dishes as slowly as possible, each one shining like new by the time I was done with it. Then I went to the bathroom, undressing and jumping the the shower, still stalling. I knew that at that very moment, Edward could very well be in my room considering his words on how he was going to leave me. All of my breath came out with a whoosh as if I had been hit. It took all I had to keep myself up right, I felt like my heart was being slowly ripped from my chest and there was nothing I could do about it. I turned off the tap and dried myself off before donning some pjs. I then took the death march to my room, slowly creaking the door open, sure enough Edward was standing there in the darkness.

"Bella, we really need to talk." He said turning on the light. "I can't put this off any longer, you and I-"

"Did-did you ever love me?" I asked with my eyes closed, cutting him off. I had to know, even if he left me I needed to know if he had even once, felt the way I did. I heard him choking on his words, when I opened my eyes, he was standing in front of me fuming.

"Did I ever love-What? Bella, what are you talking about? Of course I loved you! I still do!" He said adamantly,

"Then please don't leave me." I begged, trying as hard as humanly possible to keep the tears from springing from my eyes. This startled him, and I could see, even in the dull glow of my bedside light, the pain in his eyes at my words.

"Leave you?" Edward whispered, "Bella, I could never leave you. Where is all this coming from?" He asked, taking my shoulders in his hands, I explained to him what had happened,

"I didn't mean to snoop, I just went up to tell you I was there, but then I over heard your voices. The more I listened the sicker I felt. Then I just left." As I explained I saw the realization in his eyes as his lips turned up into a smile. When I finished he pulled me into a hug.

"Oh my silly Bella. If you had only stayed a while longer."

"What?'' I asked leaning back.

"What was the last thing you heard Carlisle say?" He asked.

"The part where he was going to say what he though was really best for you." I mumbled.

"Bella, Bella, if you'd have only stayed a moment longer, he said that he thought it would be best for me if I got my priorities straight with you now. Plan everything out so that leaving you is the last thing I would have to do." Edward explained. I was blushing now as my heart began to beat normally in its original place.

"He was saying that if I didn't organize my time now that you would become a distraction for me. Leaving you was never an option you silly girl." He said shaking his head and clutching me tighter to him. I buried my face in his chest,

"Oh." I mumbled sheepishly. His chest rumbled with laughter, and I felt like I could stay like this forever.

**Review please, make my day!!!! I know it's short, but I have more for you!!! and DUDES!!! you all pulled a Bella with that last chapter, you took what Carlisle was saying out of context and jumped to some wrong conclusions, silly readers! **

**Dedication is to those who kept a cool head and didn't jump to blame Carlisle: you know who you are and I'm proud of you!!!**

**Remember Don't be Bella, well in this aspect, cuz let's be honest, everyone wants to be bella (now theres a huge stereotype) although, I would much rather be Rosalie, if I got the choice(I mean come on...Emmett?? who wouldn't want that?). OOOH OOOH review CHALLENGE: which Cullen girl would you want to be?**

**Sooner update: 855 reviews (total)(yes I am upping the bar a little bit(but i mean come on, it's just five reviews))**

**Next Update: March 18, 2009**


	41. Plans

**Hey Everyone!!! Okay just a heads up the next four or five chaps will be the last, and they will be pretty deep! Just a heads up! This one is filler because I have MAJOR WRITER'S BLOCK!! And to top it all off, I had to Erg for forty minutes straight today!!**

**XOXO, DEVINE ROSE**

**I own nothing recognizable**

"Bella, how could you ever think that I would leave you?" Edward asked, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

"I don't know," I shrugged, "It seemed plausible at the time." I smiled a teary smile up at him.

"Oh yes, after the innumerable amount of times I've laid in your bed and held you while you slept, the times that I've told you I loved you, the promise ring I so lovingly settled upon your finger for the world to see, of course it's completely plausible that I would leave you just because of slight bump in the road." He said sarcastically.

"Leave me alone." I grumbled looking at the floor, still embarrassed that I had convinced myself that Edward would leave me.

"Bella," He called my name but I couldn't bear to look up at him, "Isabella Marie Swan, look at me." He said forcefully, I looked up into his eyes,

"As long as I live and breath you will never have to be alone." He cupped my face in his hands and he kissed me.

"How? How will we make this work? Edward, I live on the opposite side of the country." I asked doubtfully.

"I have a plan, even if it means not sleeping for the next year." He said sincerely with a smile.

"Edward Cullen that is not an option!" He laughed,

"I know love." He said his smile slowly fading, "I came up with a plan for when you leave." He then led me over to the rocking chair in the corner of the room. He sat down first then pulled me into his lap sideways, with my knee curled into my chest and my head resting on his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around me protectively,

"Ok, let's hear it." I prompted cautiously.

"Monday through Friday, I'll have school and work from eight in the morning until eleven at night, which would normally put a cramp in any type of contact we may have. However since you live on the other side of the country, the time change means that when I get off it should only be seven where you are so we'll be able to talk during the week. Although I figured the phone would never really be able to do any justice, so I was thinking I could come up every other weekend, if that was okay with you." Edward suggested simply. I considered the prospect of having Edward with me no matter what happened at the end of the summer and I nodded,

"I'm not saying it won't be hard, but I can make it work, and I'll come up for all the breaks too, if I can get them." He was becoming more and more eager.

"But Edward, won't that be expensive?" I asked apprehensively while spinning the ring Edward had given me, a nervous habit I had picked up.

"Bella, the money should be the last thing on your mind. I don't know if you've noticed but my family has more money than God." He said with a smile as his laced his fingers through mine. Then he brought our intertwined hands up to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of my hand.

"I know, but I feel like-I don't know-like, I'm not worth all this work." I mumbled, playing with his fingers. His free hand went to my chin, lifting my face up to meet his. I relented and met his eyes with mine.

"Don't you ever think that, you are so much more than worth it, you always have been and you _always_ will be. You are one silly girl for thinking otherwise." He said wholeheartedly using my favorite crooked smile to his advantage. I curled further into him and he began to rock back and forth slowly.

"So we're really going to make this work?" I asked as I used my fingers to trace random designs on his chest.

"Of course we are, I'd do anything for you." He placed a soft kiss on my forehead, I smiled at the sensation of joy and peacefulness that swept over me from the simple gesture.

An involuntary yawn slipped from my lips and Edward laughed,

"Come on Bella," He said standing up with me still in his arms. "I think we've had enough for one day." He walked us over to the bed, setting me down gently under the covers before standing back up and walking to his side, at the same time pulling his shirt off. When he climbed in we unconsciously settled into our normal position, me snuggled into his side, with my cheek resting on his chest and my arm draped over his waist while his arm wrapped itself protectively around my shoulder.

"Edward?" I whispered just as I was beginning to doze off.

"Mmmhmm?" He responded half asleep.

"I love you." At my words I felt his arm tighten around my shoulder, pulling me closer into him.

"And I love you."

Then we both drifted off together.

________________________________________________________

"Okay, so I say we pull it up." Alice suggested to Rosalie one evening as she yanked my hair back to demonstrate. Rosalie examined it in the mirror in front of me.

"Hmm, good idea, but what if we..." She began to suggest minor changes to Alice's base idea. It was the night before Carlisle's benefit and Alice had thought it would be a good idea for me to come over so that she and Rosalie could try out potential hair styles on me. The whole ordeal between Edward and I had been settled the previous night when we went and talked to Esme and Carlisle. They approved of Edward's final decision and reminded him that if that was our plan of action he was going to have to be extremely focused and organized. Edward himself had already begun his internship training down at the hospital, every week day from seven to ten. It was to help him ease into the late hours and get the basic idea of what he'd be doing. While he was gone I missed him, but every night like clockwork, he'd show up in my room, albeit a little exhausted, but there nevertheless.

"See that's perfect." Rosalie said pinning a piece of my hair back.

"Rose, it's just right!" Alice squealed. My hair had been pulled back into a low bun with a crisp and tidy side part. The front bit of my hair on one side came down to hug my eyebrow then was pinned back again, giving me the illusion of side swept bangs. It wasn't perfect, there were little whispies sticking up everywhere since it wasn't gelled down, but when it was done I could tell it would be just right as Alice had said.

"Guys thank you, it's amazing!" I said graciously.

"You're welcome." They both said at the same time.

"Alice have all the RSVPs come in yet?" Rosalie asked searching through one of Alice's make-up drawers for something.

"I think so," Alice responded, "Top drawer to the left." She then instructed. Rosalie did as Alice said and found what she was looking for. Being used to this, the conversation continued.

"RSVPs?" I asked.

"To the party next weekend. It's my annual end of the summer costume bash." Alice explained.

"Wait, Alice I don't have a-" I began, she cut me off with a wave of her hand.

"Don't worry Bella I already got the three of us something." She said with a smile.

"You did?" I asked, although I couldn't really tell why I had been so surprised, it _was_ Alice.

"Were you listening to a word I said last week?" She asked irritatedly, the puzzled look on my face must have answered her question.

"Bella." She said halfway between whining and sounding stern.

"I was distracted. I thought Edward was going to break up with me." I reminded her. I had long since informed the both of them what had happened, still Rosalie laughed at my excuse.

"Oh please Bella, the only way you two would every break up was if you left him, and let's be honest, that'll never happen." Rosalie commented and Alice laughed, even I smiled a bit at my folly.

"Well Bella, had you been listening you would have learned that not only did I get you a costume, but I got it with your approval, so if you don't like it, just remember you picked it." Alice said wilily. I glared at her through the mirror,

"This is so unfair, you knew I wouldn't have been capable of giving you a straight answer." I protested. Alice just shrugged,

"Tough luck Babe, but don't worry, you'll like it." She assured me, but for some reason it wasn't enough to pacify.

"What time is it?" I asked a while later as they tested different colored eyeshadows on the back of my hand.

"Almost ten, why?" Alice asked.

"Edward's coming straight over, but Charlie needs to be asleep before he gets there. Which means I need to get home now so he'll actually go to sleep." I informed them and they began to take down my hair for me. It didn't take long for them to finish, and I was quickly out the door after saying goodbye to everyone, they had congregated in the living room while the girls worked on me.

I walked out to the new truck Charlie had rented for me a while ago. I was an oldish model, 1990 I think, but it drove like new and I loved it all the same. When I got home Charlie was still awake waiting for me, he was nestled on the couch a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other.

"Hey Bells." He greeted when I walked in.

"Hey Dad."

"How was it?" He asked politely.

"Uneventful, Alice and Rosalie subjected me to the usual torture then I was free to go." I said with a smile, he laughed and walked over to ruffle my hair.

"I guess that's just to be expected with them, huh?"

"Yeah." I said, then I faked a yawn, "Well, I'm off to bed." I said, he smiled down at me before pulling me into a hug.

"Goodnight Bella."

"'Night Dad." Charlie went upstairs while I went down the hall to my room. I somehow managed to bite back a scream as I saw the shadowy figure standing outside my window. Edward was standing on the other side of my locked window, laughing at my reaction. I walked over to the widow and unlocked it for him, the sounds of his melodic laughter drifting into my room as he entered carefully.

"It's not funny." I grumbled.

"Actually Love, it was." Edward said pulling me into him. I rolled my eyes and tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let me, just yanked me closer.

"You're exhausted." I commented, finally getting a good look at the bags beginning to form under my eyes. I gently reached my fingers up and softly traced them underneath his eyes which drifted close at the feathery touch of my fingers. Then they trailed down past their original destination, they flitted across his cheeks and traced over his lips which parted lightly at my touch. I leaned in to place my lips on his,

"Oh and Bella!" I heard Charlie call, the sound of his footsteps on the stairs unmistakable. Edward eyes sprung open, and we looked at each other, our eyes both reflecting the fear the other felt. Edward and I looked around frantically for place for him to hide, finally settling on behind the door just as it swung open to reveal a pajama clad Charlie with a brown paper package in his hand.

"This is for you, I thought it would go well with your dress. I mean, I'm a guy so I could be completely wrong, but here." My heart was still racing and I kept my eyes glued to the package he was holding out, knowing that if I didn't I would stare at the door, behind which Edward was hiding.

I quickly unwrapped the package, inside was a thin gold headband bent to look like a vine with tiny little emerald leaves and tiny blue sapphire stones that were meant to be flowers. It was all so small and delicate, I felt that if I wasn't careful it would break under my grasp, but it was so beautiful.

"Dad where did you find this?" I asked stunned.

"Well, the first part is a little gross, I fished out of a lake a couple of weeks back, which is why there are a few stones missing, but I took it to a jeweler in town, she fixed it up for me. She said it was really old, so she couldn't find replacement stones that weren't overly expensive, but I figured you wouldn't mind." Charlie said with a slight shrug, obviously nervous about my reaction.

"Not at all." I said setting it down carefully on my dresser before hugging him,

"Thanks Dad." I said sincerely.

"No problem Bells, she gave it to me a couple of days ago, and I thought it'd be a nice surprise for your gala tomorrow." He said thoughtfully.

"Anyway, I'm off to bed now," He said turning to go, "And one more thing, I'm going out on the water again tomorrow morning so if I don't see you before you leave, have fun." He said thoughtfully before leaving, shutting the door behind him. I continued to eye the headband he had given to me,

"It's lovely." Edward said looking at it over my shoulder.

"Thank you." I said as I fingered it lightly before wrapping it back up and slipping gingerly back into the bag.

"That was close." I whispered, taking off my jeans and t-shirt, walking over to the bed and getting in.

"Tell me about it, I thought for sure he would have caught me just from the sound of my heart beats alone." He said with a chuckle as he turned out the light before joining me under the covers.

________________________________________________________

"Come on Love." I heard Edward's voice in accompaniment with a hand softly shaking me awake. I rolled onto my side and buried myself farther under the covers.

"I've been instructed to have you at the house by ten a.m. on the nose."

"Oh no." I groaned into my pillow, I could hear Edward's laugh at my reaction.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad." He said pulling on my shoulder trying to get me to face him.

"It's going to be torture." I said, finally relenting and rolling over to look at him.

"I'm afraid so." He agreed despite just saying that it wouldn't be that bad.

"Then I won't go." I declared.

"Well, you see, I can't let that happen." He said apologetically.

"Maybe I can change your mind." I said impishly.

"I highly doubt that-" He was cut off by my forceful attachment of my lips to his. He immediately opened his mouth when my tongue flicked out. His hands went to my hips and he pulled me onto him, making my job easier, especially when I ground myself into him eliciting a moan from his lips. I leaned forward so my entire upper body was flush with his and I kissed a trail from his lips up his jaw to his ear,

"Say it Edward," I instructed as I bit down on his ear lode gently, a hiss escaped from his lips,

"Say-say what?" He mumbled.

"Say it, say I don't have to go." I whispered in his ear softly, pushing myself even harder onto him.

"Mmmhhh, You- you- don't have to," He began, then he stopped talking as if realizing what he was saying, his mouth opened and closed as if searching for the words to object, but his mind was to clouded over by lust.

"No, no," He finally began, and I doubled my efforts as I drove my hips onto his, sucking on the sensitive skin just behind his ear.

"Anghh, Bella, no, you have-you have to go," I shook my head,

"There's nothing I can do about it." Edward said breathlessly, his confidence and reason growing with every word. Then he flipped us over settling himself between my legs, taking both my hands in one of his and holding them above my head so I was helpless.

"Seriously Bella, I don't particularly enjoy Alice's wrath. Especially when I am forced to endure it because you decided to take advantage of me." He said logically with a raised eyebrow.

"Traitor." I grumbled, sitting up to watch him get up and slip his shirt from last night back on, still completely turned on.

"I'm sorry Bella," He said bending over and placing an arm on either side of me as he pressed a kiss to my forehead,

"But if I have to chose whose wrath I'd rather endure, I would much rather it be yours than Alice's." He said standing back up.

"You say that now," I said rolling out of bed, "But remember," I walked right up to him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my entire body against his. I leaned forward so my lips were less than an inch away from his,

"I'm the one who dictates weather or not you can kiss me." Then I pulled away and left the room leaving a frozen Edward in my wake. I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and put on a decent pair of sweats and a tank top, seeing as I had taken to sleeping in only a bra and underwear. I couldn't help but smile at the stunt I had pulled as I brush my hair back into a ponytail.

When I left the bathroom Edward was leaning against the opposite wall waiting for me.

"Hello Edward. Are you ready to go?" I asked.

"Bella, come here." He said holding out his hand. I didn't take it, just walked past him.

"Bella." He said warningly, I looked up at him batting my lashes like a small child acting as if they had done nothing wrong. He walked over to me placing his hands on my hips to make sure I didn't go anywhere before saying,

"Bella, if it were up to me I'd take you right back into your room and screw the living daylights out of you again and again until neither one of us is capable of walking straight," Edward's words were making my heart race and my stomach tighten all over again. He had never said anything like that before, and I liked it.

"As it stand however I have a little sister waiting at home, who is so excited to get ready with you that I couldn't bear to disappoint her. So would you please, just for me?" He asked sincerely. I looked up at him, trying to fight off his pleading eyes, but it wasn't working,

"Fine, fine, but you own me." I said pointing a finger at him before dragging him back to my room to grab my stuff then out of the house and down the street to his car. As the silver vehicle came into view, I came up with the perfect form of payback.

Edward opened the trunk so I could put my bag in, then he shut it and led me over to the passenger side door. He opened it as always, only this time, instead of getting in, I went right up to him and kissed him. It took him a moment before he started kissing me back, I took his shoulder and spun him around, guiding him into the passenger seat. I climbed in on top of him, as we kissed I reached around him and into his back pocket, stealthily pulling out his keys without him noticing. Then I quickly rolled off of him and into the driver's seat.

"Bella, what are you doing?" Edward asked breathlessly, a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Just to your house, don't worry, I'll be careful, I promise." I assured him confidently. He looked apprehensive but then he shut the door and buckled his seatbelt. I buckled myself in as well and started the car.

True to my word, I drove the speed limit and avoided any potentially dangerous potholes

"See that wasn't so bad." I said turning to Edward with a smile once we were safely parked in his driveway.

"No, I guess it wasn't, but I don't think we'll be doing that again anytime soon." He said his eyes still slightly wide with fear. I laughed as I recalled the expression of utter terror that had seemed to be froze on his face throughout the ride.

"Fair enough." I said leaning over and kissing his cheek.

"Oh my God!" Someone shouted from the porch. The sudden noise caused Edward and I to jump as we looked up to the porch to see where the noise had come from. The entire Cullen family and Jasper and Rosalie rushed outside to see the reason for Emmett's shouting as well. Instead of saying anything he just pointed to us in the car. I looked over to Edward for some sort of explanation, he shook his head embarrassed then exited the car.

"Emmett, what is it?" Edward asked.

"Bella, what have you done to him?" Emmett asked as I stepped out of the car.

"What do you mean?" I asked perplexed.

"You do know that no one has ever driven that car aside from Edward?" Carlisle queried from the porch with a broad smile,

"He won't allow it." At this I looked to Edward who was avoiding my eyes by looking at the ground,

"Well, I, um, it's no big deal." He stuttered as we approached the porch.

"No big deal," Esme asked doubtfully, "Even you know what a load of crap that is." She walked over and hugged me hello,

"Good job." She said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and then turning back to everyone else.

"Congrats Bells." Emmett said clapping a congratulatory hand on my shoulder rather forcefully, causing me to pitch forward a bit.

"Thanks Emmett."

"Bella, honey have you had breakfast yet?" Esme asked thoughtfully, I shook my head.

"Good, we were all just about to make some."

"But Mom-" Alice began to protest.

"Nope, we are going to get food into our stomachs before the torture begins Alice." Then she ushered everyone inside.

"Thank you." I whispered. She laughed,

"No problem, I know what Alice can be like. One time when she was little she insisted on doing my make-up, so I let her. She didn't stop for two whole hours, and she was _six_. I didn't mind at all, she's my daughter, but I can understand why you're not exactly looking forward to this afternoon." I nodded my agreement and she let out a small laugh and she guided me into the kitchen.

**Guys seriously, wow on the reviews, I'm mean wow, please for my sanity, keep it up!!**

**Sooner update: 895 reviews (total(yes i rounded up 3))**

**Next update: IMPORTANT: I am going away on wednesday (two days) And there is a huge chance I won't be able to update until I get back (30th) but please if you guys could just make my day and reach the sooner update review number anyway(possibly more), you have no idea how happy you made me with your reviews the last time!! Thanks again!!! **


	42. Ill Wind

**Hey everyone! no news, still in T&C havin a blast! and I just stay up from 11 to 8 the other night to show you, now I can't do anythin, so review(aslo beware the spelling, im bout to pass out!!!!) Please Im so close to 1000 I can taste it! and that would be beyond great when we get to the end!!**

**xoxo,devinerose**

**I OWN NOTHING**

"As you can see we have a process. Carlisle and I handle the pancakes and waffles. Emmett does the mixes, Jasper does the eggs and bacon, Edward deals with the toast and the girls cut the fruit for the fruit salad. Where would you like to be?" Esme asked with a smile. Alice and Rosalie seemed to be deep in conversation about the new fall lines of some designer I had never heard of as they skillfully sliced an array of fruits with knives that spelled hospital for me. Emmett seemed to be in his own little world as he mixed something in a giant bowl, and Carlisle and Jasper were both standing at the stove obviously not in any need of my help. I looked to Edward who smiled up at me.

"I think I'll see if Edward needs any help." I said, she smiled and waved me off to Edward's corner.

"Hi." I said brightly.

"Hi." He said the corner of his mouth turning up into my favorite crooked smile.

"Need a hand?" I asked as he pulled down a loaf of bread.

"I'd love one. Would you go grab the two toasters from the cabinet above Emmett?" He asked pointing to the cabinet, I nodded and went over but not before placing a quick kiss on his cheek, he smiled. I hip checked Emmett playfully as I reached for the handle above his head.

"Hey little Bell." He said sweetly,

"Hi Emmett." I finally got a good look at what he was stirring. It was a goopy tan mixture, and it smelled like wheat.

"Delicious." I said skeptically,

"Once they're cooked they will be, I make the best batter in town." He said proudly.

"Oh yeah, and how's that?" I asked.

"Sorry Babe, no can do, it's my secret recipe, not even Rosalie knows what's in this." He said, whispering the last bit conspiratorially.

"Riiight!" I said with a smile as I pulled down the two industrial sized toasters Edward needed. They were huge, each capable of toasting eight pieces of bread at once, although it made sense in a family of five.

"So Bella, how did you get Edward to let you drive?" He asked curiously, I grinned.

"Sorry Babe, no can do, it's my secret." I teased. His eyes widened in excitement.

"Awww come on Bells, it's me we're talking about here. I swear I won't tell anyone." He pleaded quietly.

"How can I be so sure?" I asked with a raised brow unsure eyes leading him on.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours, then you can be sure I won't tell because if I do, then you can tell mine." He bargained.

"Okay," I said, and he and I shook hands, "Now, you first."

"Alright, my secret pancake recipe, it has nutmeg, cinnamon, and all the normal fixings, but I also put in maple syrup and brown sugar." He whispered proudly. "Your turn."

"I, um, well, I kissed him." I said, then I felt my cheeks go red as I remembered exactly how I had kissed him, not only in the car but also in my bed.

"No!" He gasped in mock surprise, "Oh Bella, I'm so ashamed, by that blush I'm guessing it was more then a kiss, tsk, tsk Bella, trading sex for keys." He said shaking his head.

"I never said-" I began to object, but Jasper's presence cut me off.

"Who's trading sex for car keys?" He asked as he reached for the pepper next to Emmett.

"Bella." Emmett said simply before I could say 'no one', and he resumed stirring the pancake mix.

"I am not." I argued.

"Uh-hun. Whatever you say Bella." Jasper said eyeing Emmett. I rolled my eyes at their laughter and brought the toasters over to Edward.

"What's up with them?" Edward asked gesturing over my shoulder at the two guffawing boys.

"Nothing. Emmett asked what I did to get you to let me drive, I told him I kissed you, but I blushed and he assumed it was something more." I explained to Edward as I plugged in the toasters and adjusted the settings. He was opening the bread when I looked up at him.

"Well, why did you?" He asked.

"Why did I what?"

"Blush." He stated.

"Oh, well, I was, uh, thinking about this morning, you know in my room." I said honestly, he grinned and leaned in closer to me.

"Really?" He asked, I nodded.

"That's funny because, I also can't seem to get this morning out of my head." He whispered in my ear.

"Follow my lead." He said. I nodded, and he walked away to the refrigerator. He opened it and looked around for a while, I tried not to pay attention to him.

"Mom, there's no more jelly." Edward finally said.

"Did you check the garage?" Esme asked him.

"Nope, I'll go do that now." He said, sneaking a glance at me before exiting the kitchen. I caught on quickly. I loaded the toast into the toaster and pulled the lever.

"I'll be right back." I informed the kitchen, "See if Edward needs a hand." Then I made my way out to the garage. I pulled open the door and stepped inside. The door was quickly shut and I was pressed against it. Edward lips went straight to my neck,

"Mmmh." I moaned, and I let my fingers tangle themselves into his hair. When his lips claimed my own, I moved my hands down the front of his chest to the hem of his shirt, and slipped them beneath the fabric. I could feel him shiver as my hands made contact with his taut skin. I skimmed my fingers across the plane of his muscles aimlessly. One of his hands traveled down my side, to my thigh, and further down to my knee, which he then pulled up and hitched around him. I felt him begin to suck at the skin of my neck when his hands grabbed a firm hold of my ass,

"Edward" I gasped, he lifted me up onto him, and walked us across the garage, then pushed me up against the fridge, his lips returning to my neck.

"Unnhh cold." I groaned, realizing somewhere along the way my hands had slipped out from under his shirt.

"Well I'm sure we can do something about that." He said nipping lightly on the skin of my neck, I felt a hand under my shirt, moving slowly upwards, while his lips still continued their attack on my neck. I felt my head drop back as his hand reached its destination. My hips bucked automatically into his and he pressed me even harder against the fridge.

"Mmmhmm. Don't...stop." I breathed as his hand began to knead my bare breast. His palm pushed and massaged against the skin.

"Bella, you're so soft." He said his voice was husky, making my stomach coil even more.

"Find that jelly?" Emmett yelled through the closed garage door. Edward and I both froze.

"I think I might just kill him." Edward said upset as he pulled his hand out of my shirt.

"Uh-hun." I said panting unable to get out anything more coherent, Edward grinned.

"Yeah, we're good!" He shouted back, but he and I both knew we were way more than that.

___________________________________

"Did you find it?" Esme asked as we reentered the kitchen, slightly disheveled and carrying a jar of strawberry jelly.

"I bet that's not all they found." Emmett snickered to Jasper, who nodded and laughed back. Their responses earned Emmett a smack to the back of the head from Rosalie and Jasper a pinch in the side from Alice.

"Emmett, you're one to talk, or have you forgotten the time when I caught you and Jamie Sparks in the pantry your freshman year?" Esme reminded him as she bit back a smile. Rosalie stared at him,

"It was one time." He said to her in his defense.

"Wait, Jamie Sparks _the senior_?" Jasper asked. Emmett nodded proudly as Edward and I took our seats.

"As if there was another one of her." Emmett said with a laugh.

"And how come you never told me about her?" Rosalie asked shocked, Emmett's laughter ceased immediately.

"Well, I, uh, I don't know. I figured it was one time, I didn't think you'd care." He said nervously, causing Rosalie to laugh.

"Of course I don't care. One we weren't even dating and two it was Jamie Sparks, hell if I had the chance I'd hookup with her too." She said with a shrug as she reached for the pancakes, ignoring the way Emmett's jaw dropped.

"Ditto." Alice said, pouring herself some juice before passing it to me. Jasper had quite the same reaction as Emmett. Carlisle and Esme laughed.

"Wow, I think I might need to see this Jamie sparks." I said with a laugh as I took the juice from Alice.

"I'm sure there is a picture in a yearbook somewhere." Emmett said getting up from the table,

"There's one in the living room!" Esme called after him. Emmett reentered moments later with a evergreen book in hand, he was flipping through it. He walked over to me and continued to turn pages until he found what he was looking for.

"That is Jamie Sparks." He said pointing her out. I think my jaw dropped,

"Wow." She was nearly as pretty as Rosalie, but not quite. She had short curly hair that was a deep red color, but it was obviously natural. She had plump red lips that were turned up into a vibrant smile and these piercing green eyes with thick long lashes.

"Yep, I'm definitely siding with Rosalie and Alice on this one." I said with nod.

"That is until you talk to her, vapid and dumb as a post." Jasper said with a laugh.

"Wait, but I thought she did pretty well in all of her classes?" Edward asked perplexed. Everyone considered this for a moment before looking at each other.

"Ewww." Alice said.

"Nah, it was nothing like that, she was the previous principle's favorite niece." Emmett answered helping himself to four pancakes. A look of understanding overcame everyones face.

"No wonder he got fired."

"You didn't know that?" Esme asked surprised.

"Wait he got fired?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah, what did you think happened to him?" Alice asked her.

"I thought he just retired."

"He was pretty ancient." Emmet agreed.

"Emmett, he was only fifteen years older than me." Carlisle said hurt. Emmett looked down apologetically.

"Oh, right, sorry."

"Really?" Jasper asked, Carlisle nodded.

"Huh, I always thought he was like 80." Jasper said trying to remember.

"Alright, time to hand over the yearbook and take a look." Esme said trying not to laugh at Jasper's remarks and Carlisle's expression as the took the yearbook out of Emmett's hand. She looked through until she found a picture.

"See he doesn't look that old, maybe he just doesn't photograph well." Carlisle said in his defense as he looked over Esme's shoulder. Then she passed the book to me so we could take a look.

"Maybe because he wasn't familiar with the process having spent most of his life sitting for oil paintings." Alice said simply with a shrug. Everyone burst out laughing, Esme had to hide her face in her napkin, but her eyes sparkled with laughter. Carlisle just frowned and gave up.

"Oh honey." Esme said putting a comforting hand on his arm, "It's okay, as everyone knows you look extremely young for age, but you have to admit the man did look rather old."

"Whatever." Carlisle grumbled uncharacteristically, everyone laughed even harder and breakfast continued with mindful chatter about different topics. Throughout it all Alice tried to rush everyone, until Esme stopped her by saying that if she stopped Rosalie Alice and myself would be free from having to help clean up after. Alice agreed as every boy at the table groaned in anguish.

"Oh, get over it, if you had any idea of what we girls have to do to get ready for tonight, you would be more than willing to do those dishes." Alice said as she rolled her eyes and popped a piece of pancake into her mouth.

"Oh yeah? What do you have to do?" Emmett asked skeptically.

"Well, first we have to wax, then shower, then soak, then dry off. Then we have to do our hair, which mind you involves sitting under a continuous flow of extremely hot hair. After that we have to do our make up, which is also rather difficult and time consuming. Then finally after that we can get dressed, only to go to a party where we have to stand on our feet the entire night, in four inch heels, while keeping a smile on our faces. Am I missing anything?" She asked turning to Rosalie. Rosalie grinned and shook her head.

"So, still willing to trade?" Alice asked Emmett, who quickly shook his head.

"Good."

When breakfast was finally finished Alice and Rosalie dragged me upstairs to begin our day of "fun". Alice guided me into the bathroom and sat me down in the chair.

"Okay, so first the waxing and plucking."

"Wait what? I thought you were kidding, you know saying it to prove your point." I said fearfully.

"Nope." She said popping the 'p'.

"But-but Alice," I stalled. "If we do it now, we'll be all red and puffy later." I reasoned.

"I know," Alice groaned, "But I totally spaced on it until the middle of the night last night, but don't worry, everything will be fine." She assured me as she put a hand on my forehead and tilted my head back, giving her much easier access. Rosalie entered the bathroom stirring something in a plastic container with a popsicle stick. I shrank back into the seat.

"Calm down." Rosalie scoffed as she approached my chair. I expected her to hand it off to Alice, but Alice had taken a comfortable seat on the edge of her tub and was watching Rosalie and I.

"I'm sure my eyebrows are just fine." I said, still trying to deter them. Rosalie rolled her eyes,

"Have you seen them?" Alice asked from her perch on the tub. My hand shot to cover my eyebrows self-consciously.

"They aren't _that_ bad Alice. But seriously Bella, just a little touch up to trim the caterpillars." Rosalie said simply, I groaned.

"Fine, fine, do what you want." I relented grumbling.

"There's a good girl, now close your eyes and tilt your head back." Rosalie instructed, I did as told. She began to apply the wax, I squinted accidentally.

"Stop fretting, you'll be fine. Don't worry my Ma taught me this trick, now quite squirming." She groaned and I complied. Instead of doing it in individual portions, she did the outline of my entire left eyebrow at once, quickly covering the whole thing with a piece of waxing cloth.

"On three. Ready? One-" Then she ripped it right off. I let out an involuntary squeak. But as the sting subsided I realized it hadn't really hurt.

"Trick is get the first one done quickly and then you realize it doesn't really hurt the way you imagined. Onto the next one." Rosalie said with a smile as she lathered my right eyebrow and did it again, only this time she actually pulled on three, and I was done.

"My job is done, Alice?" Rosalie said taking a step back and offering the floor up to Alice, who came over to inspect with a pair of tweezers in hand.

"There's more?" I asked fearfully.

"Just a little." Alice said examining Rosalie's work carefully.

"Can't I be done?" I pleaded.

"Bella, stop being such a baby." Alice said with a wave of her hand before she began picking painfully at the bits Rosalie had missed. Each pull made me wince, but after a couple of minutes she was done.

"There, now you're done." Alice said with a grin as she held up a mirror for me. I took it, they were red and puffy as I had expected, but they were much cleaner than before.

"Here, put this on your face." Rosalie said handing me a damp cloth with something wrapped inside of it.

"Keep it on your eyebrows for the next ten minutes while Rosalie and I take our showers, it should get rid of the redness and the swelling." Alice instructed as Rosalie and I left the bathroom giving Alice leave to take her shower. Rosalie went into Emmett's room across the hall, looking for time to kill I went up to Edward's room.

"Don't say a word." I said as I entered the room and saw Edward's expression. He bit back a smile as he continued to stare at the ice compress I was holding to my head.

"Waxing I take it?" He asked as I sat down on his couch next to him. I nodded.

"Come here." He said and he pulled me down so my head was resting in his lap and I could look up at him. He took the ice pack from my hand and held it in place himself.

"Better?" I nodded and closed my eyes.

"Read to me." I said, gesturing to the book he had been reading, the one he had set aside when I came in. I took the makeshift ice pack out of his grip and handed him the book

He picked the it up and began reading where he had left off,

_"'Peace, peace, Mercutio, peace! Thou talk'st of nothing.'_

_'True, I talk of dreams, which are the children of an idle brain, begot of nothing but vain fantasy, which is as thin of substance as the air and more inconstant than the wind, who wooes even now the frozen bosom of the north, and, being anger'd, puffs away from thence, turning his face to the dew-dropping south.'_

_Benvolio: 'This wind, you talk of, blows us from ourselves; supper is done, and we shall come too late._

_Romeo: I fear, too early: for my mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars shall bitterly begin his fearful date with this night's revels and expire the term of a despised life closed in my breast by some vile forfeit of untimely death. but He, that hath the steerage of my course, direct my sail!'"_

"It's funny," I began interrupting Edward's reiteration of Romeo and Juliet.

"Yes Love?" He asked.

"Romeo's talk of fate's wind blowing him to early, it seems to do that throughout the play. All of the decision are made so hastily. If he'd have just slowed down, maybe Friar Lawrence could have given him the letter, or he would have arrived at Juliet's tomb fifteen minutes later. I mean I understand why it happened the way it did, but I just hope that people wouldn't be so rash." I finished.

"To be completely honest Bella, I'd have done the same thing." Edward said looking down at me.

"What?" I asked shocked, my voice only coming out as a whisper.

"If I thought you were dead. I don't know, I think all rational ideas would go flying out the window and what I'd left with is the fact the person I care about more than life itself is gone, I mean, it makes sense, what Romeo did." He said with a shrug. I pulled myself up and off his lap, my back to him as I tried to swallow and process the words that had just come out of his mouth.

"Don't you _ever_ say that to me again." I said forcefully unable to look at him. "How could you even think something like that?" I said my voice quavering, as I pushed myself off the couch. I tried to fight back the tears at the idea of Edward no longer existing. I set the towel of ice on the table and I wrapped my arms comfortingly around myself.

"Bella, I didn't mean to upset you, I was just saying that I could easily put myself in his shoes, that's all. I had no idea it would affect you this much." Edward said regretfully.

"No idea?" I asked angrily, spinning around to face him. He was now standing up in front of the couch.

"And what if I said that if something happens to you I was going to throw myself off a cliff, down a bottle of heavy duty advil with some Absolut, slit my wrists. Huh? How would you feel?" I yelled, once I was finished I realized I had said to him exactly the same thing he had said to me. I looked up to find Edward's face was filled with pain as he stared at me.

"Oh God, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that, it's just-" I couldn't finish as I sank down on the edge of his bed.

"I can't bear the idea of you, doing something like that if I died." I got out. He came over and knelt in front of me, taking my hands in his,

"I shouldn't have said that and I'm so sorry to have caused you pain, I-" He began but I cut him off with something I knew would make sure he didn't hurt himself if I died.

"Promise me, that if anything happens to me, and I go away, you'll keep on going. You'll get a job, and meet someone new, and you'll by a house and have kids and everything." Edward didn't say anything, he didn't look at me, he just stared at our joined hands. I took his chin in my hand and lifted his face up making his eyes meet mine.

"Edward, promise me." I said forcefully. I watched his eye flicker back and fourth between mine, before he gave his answer.

"Bella, I won't do anything to harm myself but if you actually think I'll be capable of finding someone else-" He began, but I cut him off shaking my head.

"No, you will, promise me you will try to have a normal life no matter what happens to me. Please, I need you to promise me that." I pleaded, and I felt a tear slip down my cheek. He brushed it away with the pad of his thumb, then nodded.

"I promise." He said sadly. I sank to the floor in front of him and he wrapped his arms tightly around me.

"Thank you." I whispered.

We sat like that for a while, Edward never once loosened his hold on me. I was near close to drifting off in his arms when there was a knock on the door, followed by Alice letting herself in. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a button down, along with a rather upset expression.

"Bella where-" Her voice cut off when she saw Edward's and mine position on the floor.

"Oh sorry guys." She said apologetically, "I'll come back-" She said turning to go, but I stopped her.

"No, Alice it's fine." I said getting up, brushing away any remnants of tears. I turned back and offered Edward a hand, which he took as he got up.

"We're fine.'' I said to him as I answered Alice, he smiled and pulled me into a hug.

"Good, because you need to shower and Edward Esme need your help." Alice said and she came over to pull me away.

"Alice could you give us a minute?" Edward asked, Alice nodded understanding.

"Just come down to my room when you done Bella." She instructed I nodded.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, tucking back a piece of escaped hair.

"I'm fine. Now, you'd better go and see what Esme needs, okay?" I said pressing my hand to his cheek. He kissed it, then squeezed me one last time, before he walked me to Alice's room.

"I love you." He said at the door.

"And I you." I said and I watched him walk downstairs.

_______________________________________________

"Okay so when Esme brought it back to the tailor for some minor adjustments, she did a little tweaking to the collar as well, I hope you don't mind, it's just Esme thought this would be prettier." Alice explained as she and Rosalie slipped the dress over my head so as not to disturb my hair. Which had come out perfectly, exactly as they had planned, it was just as it was the night they tested it, only all of the flyaway hairs had been slicked down and my father's headband had been woven carefully into the final product.

"And we finished the back." She said as she zipped up the dress.

"Finished?" I asked perplexed.

"Yeah, the bunch in the back, we needed to make sure it fit before we clipped it. See?" I turned to look at the back. The fabric from the sides of the dress was pinned together and held in place buy a singular sapphire inlaid in gold button. As I looked down at the front, I saw the neckline was no longer a V but rather a sweetheart neckline. The perfect finish.

"Alright, mirror time." Alice exclaimed bouncing up and down as she led me over to the mirror hanging in her closet. As I looked at myself in the mirror I felt at a loss for words. I felt like I belonged among the ranks of Rosalie and Alice, like I deserved to stand next to them. My lips were a touch redder than normal thanks to Rosalie's lipstick, and my eyes has a subtle black outline, yet the lids shimmered gold. I looked at each on of them in the mirror. Rosalie to my right was wearing a beautiful gown, the twisted bodice cups at the top held the strapless dress up while the rest of the fabric flowed freely down her body. The fabric was a deep red with a silver metallic leaf print covering it. Her hair was parted on the side, and she reverse french braided her bangs into a makeshift head band that ran along her hairline on either side of her part. Then everything was pulled into a messy bun, and the tendrils that stuck out were curled and hung loosely.

Alice's dress was held up by a slightly low U-shaped piece of fabric that was completely bedazzled with a mix of white beads and sequins. The arms of the U attached to the back, right over her shoulders. Her back was completely covered by the black fabric, giving it a much classier look. The dress was floor length and there was a small train in the back. Her hair was curled into short ringlets that just barely grazed her chin.

And the way they had made me look, helped me feel right standing by their sides.

"Guys, I don't think I could thank you enough." I said, pulling each on into a hug. Rosalie laughed,

"That's thanks enough for me." She said kindly.

"Yeah me too." Alice agreed with a smile. "Now we'd best get our shoes on before Esme calls us down."

"Oh shit!" Rosalie proclaimed, stopping Alice and I in our tracks.

"What? What's wrong?" Alice asked worried.

"I left my shoes in the car, and the boys are downstairs." She said with a groan.

"Oh." Alice said with a frown.

"Wait, Edward isn't!" Alice said joyously. Both she and Rosalie turned to me. I felt the puzzlement on my face.

"Ok, so we have this tradition where the boys are allowed to see us until we make our grand entrance. But since your boy isn't here it's perfect! You can run down to Alice's car, grab the shoes and come back up Edward none the wiser." Alice explained.

"Yeah sure. Where are your keys? and Rosalie where are the shoes?" I asked the two of them.

"Jasper has my keys since he's driving tonight." Alice answered.

"In the passenger seat on the floor. Thanks again!" Rosalie said.

"It's no big deal, I'll be right back." I said before I exited Alice's room and headed downstairs. I heard Jasper and Emmett talking in the kitchen.

"Jasper where are Alice's keys?" I asked as I rounded the corner. They both looked up, neither of the uttered a single word as they stared at me open mouthed.

"What?" I asked looking down at myself to make sure something embarrassing hadn't happened to my dress.

"'What?' Are you seriously asking us that question Bella? Have you looked in a mirror lately?" Emmett asked incredulously.

"Well yeah, but-"

"But nothing, Bella you look stunning." Jasper commented sincerely.

"Yeah well you two look pretty dashing yourselves." I complemented, each was wearing a simple clean cut tux, their bow ties matching the colors of the respective girlfriend's dresses. They both laughed at my words and said thank you.

"So what's up? What brings you down here? I mean it is normal for you girls to wait upstairs." Jasper inquired.

"Your sister left her shoes in the back of Alice's car, so I volunteered to grab them for her since Edward isn't here. Alice said you had the keys." I told Jasper.

"Yeah, come on, I'll go with you.'' He said standing up.

"Me too!" Emmett's said following in Jasper's footsteps.

"You really don't have to I'll be fine." I said feeling bad for making them get up.

"Bella, does it look like we have anything better to do." Emmett asked rolling his eyes as he held the front door open for me.

"True." I said as I crossed the threshold and we headed for the car. Jasper unlocked it and I opened the passenger side door, but there was nothing there but a little blue Tiffany's bag.

"Boys close your eyes!" Someone shouted from a window in the house, Emmett and Jasper turned their backs away from the voice. I looked up to see Alice and Rosalie, leaning out of Alice's second story window.

"Rosalie, I'm sorry but your shoes aren't in here." I shouted up to them.

"Yeah, I know, that was kind of the point!" She yelled back with a laugh.

"I don't get it, do you want this?" I reached into the car and pulled out the bag.

"No silly," Alice shouted, "That's for you! I was going to get you something bigger, but Rosalie said you would like this better because it's simpler." She explained, but I was still confused.

"Jesus Christ Bella, it's your going away present!" Rosalie yelled, shaking her heading in disappointment.

"Oh." I said, then I opened the bag. Inside was a box, I took it out and handed the bag to Emmett. I opened the box, in it lay thin platinum chain. On the chain, every few inches, was a diamond.

"Oh my God, it's, it's, thank you!" I stuttered as I pulled the necklace out of the box. As I kept pulling more came out.

"Wow this is long." I commented.

"38 inches of Tiffany's Diamond by the Yard to be exact!" Alice said with a grin.

"Guys this is the perfect gift." I went to slip it on, but both girls screamed 'no' from their look out.

"But why?" I asked.

"It doesn't work at all with your outfit." Alice yelled. I heard Emmett and Jasper snicker from either side of me.

"Fine." I grumbled as I slipped it back into the box and the box into the bag.

"Oh no! Edward's home!" Alice squealed. Jasper, Emmett, and I looked up to see headlights at the from of the long driveway. Emmett and Jasper down at me, big grins on their face.

"Bella run!" Jasper instructed and I ran laughing up the porch and into the house clutching my present. I didn't stop until I got into Alice's room where Rosalie was sliding on her shoes,

"I see you found your shoes." I joked.

"Don't get smart." She said with a half smile as she strapped on a pair of silver criss crossed heels. I spent the next five minutes graciously thanking Alice and Rosalie for my present.

"Girls, it's time to go!" Esme finally called from downstairs. We all looked at each other and squealed.

"Let's go!" Alice said, offering and arm to Rosalie and I. We took them and left Alice's room.

"Okay, we're coming down." Alice announced from the top of the stairs. and I couldn't help but giggle and we made our way down stairs.

**EPOV**

There was a flash of blue up the front stairs as I pulled into the driveway.

"What was that?'' I asked Emmett and Jasper, who were randomly standing the driveway, as I got out of the car.

"Bella." The answered at the same time. I grinned, pulling a box of shoes out of my passenger seat.

"So what are you two, my welcoming committee?" I teased as the three of us headed inside.

"Ehh, you wish!" Emmett laughed, reaching out to muss my hair, but I was to quick for him.

"Nice try, but you're going to have to be faster than that!" I joked as I ran in the house, Emmett and Jasper in quick pursuit. I ran into the kitchen and him behind my mother.

"Oh, you think you're slick, just wait til moms not there to protect you." Emmett said as he saw me.

"Please, I'll always be there to protect my boy. Just like I'll be there for you." Esme said to Emmett.

"And you too Jasper." She said kindly as I handed her the shoe box.

"Thank you Ma'am." Jasper said grinning ear to ear. Esme slipped off the top of the box and used me as a rock while she slipped them onto her feet. Then she stood up straight, ready to go.

"You look good Mom." Emmett complemented as Esme made her way to the hallway.

"Indeed." Jasper agreed. Esme did look amazing, she was wearing a floor length dark green dress. It was a wide but not too low V neck with inch wide straps, with was belted around the waist in the front with a sparkling crystal clasp. Above the belt the fabric was a little loose, but then beyond the belt it fell straight down, pooling slightly around her feet. Her back was completely exposed until the belt and the fabric on the sides hung loosely on the sides. Esme's hair was down and in waves, she looked amazing, as Jasper and Emmett had said.

"Girls it's time to go!" Esme called from the bottom of the stairs. The five of us, including Carlisle, congregated around the bottom of the stairs. Carlisle was resting against the door frame to the living room with Esme by his side, Emmett had an elbow resting on the banister, while Jasper was leaning back against the wall next to the bottom step. I was situated against the wall directly across from the bottom of the stairs.

"Alright we're coming down." Alice announced, I heard Bella's giggle before I saw her. It sounded a lot like a wind chime, when it goes off in a breeze. My heart was racing as she came into view. My mind barely registered Rosalie and Alice, all it could see was Bella, _my_ Bella. Beautiful, amazing, gorgeous, didn't seem sufficient enough to even begin to describe the way she looked. When she saw me staring she looked down sheepishly and a smile graced her soft lips. They continued down the stairs arm in arm, separating once they reached the floor. Alice to Jasper, Rosalie to Emmett, and Bella to me. She took a few steps towards me then in true Bella fashion she stumbled into my arms. My eyes caught hers and we both laughed before she hid her face in my chest.

"Thanks." She said leaning back to look at me with a smile.

"Anytime." I whispered back as I placed a kiss on her cheek.

**BPOV**

I felt my smile grow at Edward's words as I remembered the first time he had caught me. Looking at him in front of me made my heart stutter, knowing he was mine, knowing he was willing to die for me, do anything for me. It was hard to wipe the giant grin off my face.

"You look beautiful tonight, I don't think I'll be able to let you out of my sight." Edward said sweetly.

"Then don't." I said with a smile. He grinned down at me.

"Alright kids, time to go, the car just pulled up." Esme informed everyone. We all headed outside, there was a town car awaiting Carlisle and Esme.

"Okay, so we will see you there." Carlisle said as we all went our separate ways. Jasper and Alice to Alice's Porsche and Emmett and Rosalie to a car I had never seen before.

"That's one of the family cars used for special occasions only. Carlisle said Emmett could use it for tonight. It's the Ferrari F430." Edward explained as he led us to the Vanquish. When everyone else pulled out of the driveway, Edward scooped me up into his arms bridal style and spun us around. I shrieked in delight as the fabric of my dress billowed out, I tilted my head back and laughed. Finally he set me down out side of the passenger door to his car.

"I have something for you."

"Not you too." I groaned, I had always hated people spending money on me. I shuddered to think about how much Alice and Rosalie had spent on that necklace. Edward laughed at me as he guided me into the seat sideways so my feet were sticking out of the car. Then he got up and walked over to his Volvo, pulling something out of the backseat and hiding it behind his back as he turned and walked back over to me. He put whatever it was on the other side of my door so I couldn't see it,

"Pull up your dress." He instructed.

"If you weren't such a gentleman I'd be worried by this request." I teased as I pulled up my dress, revealing a pair of painfully high blue stilettos that had multiple straps on them. Out of all of the shoes Alice had ever put me in, these were by far the worst. But not wanting to upset her, I wore them anyway.

Edward got down on his toes so he was out of the dirt as he took the shoes off my feet.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"You'll see." He said with a secretive grin. Once the shoes were off he set them neatly beside me.

"Esme had asked me to go pick up her shoes and when I saw hers I started thinking about what Alice had said earlier about having to be on your feet all night. That made me think of you, and Alice's plans for you footwear, I figured it wouldn't be anything remotely comfortable, so I grabbed you these." Edward pulled out what he had been hiding, lifting the top to reveal a pair of simple, yet gorgeous, ballet flats. He took them out of the box and put them onto my feet.

"Edward, thank you this is the sweetest most thoughtful gift you could have ever given me. Needless to say that you just made made my night." I said leaning forward, taking his face in my hands and pulling him in for a kiss. He placed a hand on the seat at either side of me. Just as things began to heat up, he stopped us.

"We have to get going." He said breathily. I nodded in agreement, settling into my seat. He shut my door for me and then got in.

The drive up was unremarkable. Edward and I talked about what to expect at Carlisle's benefit.

"It's an event where a bunch of donors get together and have their asses kissed by a bunch of doctors looking for money for the hospital. So if you aren't a donor of a doctor, it's not very interesting." Edward informed me with a smile, I laughed.

"Meaning I can just sit back and relax?" I asked.

"Not really, people are going to want to meet the children of the distinguished Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Even though we've met these people every year, but this year it's a little different. So I'm afraid you'll be on your feet most of the night." He said apologetically.

"Well thanks to you I at least have sensible shoes for tonight's events." I said gesturing to my feet.

"Which will include dinner and dancing." He said glancing at me from the corner of his eyes as he rushed through the last word.

"Nice try, but I heard you," I said with a laugh, "Although as long as I'm with you, I'm sure I'll be fine." I shrugged and he raised my hand to his lips, kissing it. We drove until we reached the hotel where the party was being hosted. As we pulled up the valet immediately opened my door and held out a hand to help me up, I took it and thanked him. Edward was quickly by my side, and he handed off the keys before looking down at me.

"Ready?" He asked.

"As I'll ever be." I responded with a sigh as we went in.

The lobby was just like that of any hotel of its kind. Shiny polished marble floors, a grand chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and a fountain in the middle. Edward guided me expertly through the entire hotel and up the main staircase to a set of palatial double doors, being opened by a set of door men. As Edward and I approached, Edward pulled out our tickets and handed them to one of the doormen. Who then verified it and opened the door for us. The ball room was a blur of colors, women trying to impress their peers with expensive dresses and even more expensive jewelry. The sound of laughter, both fake and real, filled the enormous room, mixed with the clanking of glasses and the instrumental band playing in the corner. There were large round tables everywhere covered in gold and silver table clothes, twelve places at each table, some people were already seated, some were on the dance floor while others were mingling. Edward found our table quickly, it was next to the head table, right up front. Alice and Jasper were already seated while Emmett was spinning Rosalie on the dance floor. Carlisle and Esme were talking to the line people who had come up to congratulate him.

"So Ali, anyone come up yet?" Edward asked taking the seat with his name on it, I did the same.

"Just a couple." She answered, "Looks like everyone's here, including Lauren, Mike, and, um, James." I felt Edward stiffen next to me. I squeezed his hand,

"Be nice." I said quietly he looked down at me exasperatedly, I widened my eyes, signaling him to cut it out. He shook his head slightly, I nodded once.

"Bella would you like to dance?" He asked his voice strained.

"I don't see what the problem is!" I said once we got out to the dance floor.

"The problem? Are you serious bella? He practically attacked you."

"Yes and that was horrible, but he was drunk and he said he was extremely sorry. So yeah, I don't see what the problem is!" At that moment he spun me in time with all of the other couples on the dance floor.

"Bella-"

"Edward I'm serious cut it out! He apologized. It was a drunken mistake. Nothing more, and not only that, but if I recall correctly, you and I were still, 'just friends' according to you." I reminded him, his footsteps faltered and I knew I had won.

"But-" Edward began half heartedly.

"No buts, he's a good guy, just give him a chance, for me." I pleaded gently, giving the best puppy dog eyes I could muster. He groaned.

"Fine, but I will rip him to shreds if it, or anything like it, happens again." He relented threateningly, I grinned.

"That's all I ask." I said, "Plus look on the bright side, I have yet to see him anywhere."

"Bella, we've been here for a total of ten minutes." He said flatly.

"Just trying to be positive here." I said with a lopsided smile.

"You're such a good person Bella." He complemented kissing my forehead.

Edward spun me away again, I laughed when I caught him staring at me. His eyes had softened from moments ago as he pulled me back into him.

"My God you're so incredibly beautiful, I still can't believe you're mine." He said sincerely, his eyes burning into mine.

"Thank you, although I could say the same about you Mr. Cullen." I said with a smile.

"Why thank you Mrs. Cul-Swan." He blushed at his presumptuous mistake.

"Swan." He repeated embarrassed, "I'm sorry." I laughed with girlish delight.

"I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with you." I told him honestly with a warm smile, his eyes warmed.

"Yeah, me neither." Then he pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. We continued dancing until we were interrupted by Emmett.

"Hiya!" He said with a smirk.

"Hi." I said with another laugh.

"Time for the Cullen kids to make nice with the paycheck signers." Emmett said clapping Edward on the back. Edward groaned and we followed Emmett off the dance floor. Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie were already talking to a man who looked to be about 60. He had jet black hair and a slight pot belly, his age would have been indiscernible with the exception of the wrinkles that littered his face.

"Emmett!" The man said cheered when he saw us approaching.

"Rosalie was just explaining were she got that traffic stopping ring. Congratulations." The man said shaking Emmett's hand.

"Thank you Dr. Brecher." Emmett said taking his place alongside Rosalie.

"Edward, long time no see." Dr. Brecher said with a laugh that Edward joined in on

"And this must be the infamous Bella I've heard so much about." He said turning to me.

"Of course, how could I have been so rude. Dr. Brecher, this is Isabella Swan, Bella, this is my mentor Dr. Sidan Brecher." Edward introduce us, I held out my hand, Dr. Brecher shook it eagerly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I said politely.

"You too." He said with a wide smile. Then someone rang a bell, and requested that everyone make their way to their seats as dinner would be served shortly.

"That puts an end to this conversation, I'm seated over there," Dr. Brecher pointed out a table directly opposite ours on the other side of the dance floor.

"But I'l come find you afterwards, after all that Edward has said, I'm dying to talk to you Bella." He said.

"Thank you." I said before we parted ways. Edward led me over to our table, and he pulled out my chair for me as any gentleman would. He was about to move to his own seat when James made his first appearance of the evening.

**Please know that I'm still on vaca and wont be able to update. It cost me **_**money**_** for this update, but I figured you guys deserved something for all of your reviews, thanks!**

**Sooner update number (force of habit what can I say): 940 reviews (total(yes I rounded 3))**

**Next update: Most likely: April 3, 2009**

**Clothes on profile!**


	43. Reconciliation and Threats

**Enjoy, be aware that I got back an hour ago, it's one, and I love y'alls so much I am updating in an airport, even before I get my luggage!**

**XoXo, DeViNeRoSe**

**Own nothing!**

**Ps- When tired me grammar no so well! Beware!(sry I will fix it though, I'm going back to fix up the whole story-spring cleaning!)**

Edward's grasp on my chair tightened as he glared at James.

"Bella, Edward." James greeted us with a bow of his head. I could tell the entire table's eyes were on us too, waiting for the scene to unfold before them.

"James." Edward said curtly.

Hello, James." I said politely, not wanting to push Edward. James smiled at me before turning his attention to Edward.

"Edward, as you may know, I have already apologized to Bella for my actions earlier this summer, but I feel as though I owe you an apology as well." James said sincerely, holding out his hand to Edward.

"I'm sorry." He said remorsefully. We all continued to watch, all of us waiting on the edge of our seats to see Edward's reaction to James's apology. After another moment, Edward took James's awaiting hand.

"Thank you." James said, Edward nodded.

"I'd better get back to my table." James said jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

"Why don't you stop by after dinner?" Alice asked kindly. Edward stiffened and I whipped around to face her, while I found James to be agreeable, I knew Edward had only accepted James's apology for me. Edward still hated James for everything he had done.

"Sure." James said tentatively, before saying goodbye and leaving. Edward took his seat as a man approached the podium in a well lit corner of the room.

"If it's of any consolation, I'm very proud of you." I whispered in his ear before the man at the podium begins speaking, we turned our attention to him.

"Hello everyone, tonight we are here to celebrate a man whose accomplishments at the Yarmouth Regional Hospital have brought nothing but joy and a sense of hopefulness to each and every one of his patients and their family members. Dr. Carlisle Cullen has selflessly devoted himself to this hospital and the work he does for it. This is the primary reason the board has decided that this night should be all about Dr. Carlisle Cullen. So would you please all join me in welcoming our honoree to the Mike." Carlisle stood to roaring applause, Esme beamed up at him proudly, as did the rest of his family. Carlisle made his way to the podium, shaking hands with the man who had introduced him before taking the mike.

"Thank you, and thank you Dr. Fierst for that wonderful introduction, it's proof my parents were wrong when they said I was destined for the stage." At this Carlisle gained a laugh from the audience.

"Thankfully I stuck to this position, because to be completely honest, I can save lives, but I can't for the life of me make speeches in front of crowds, so I'll keep this as short as possible. I would like to thank my family for being so understanding of my commitment to my work. They have stood by and supported me since day one and I owe them everything. I would also like to thank the hospital for this wonderful opportunity they have given me. I honestly do not think I am capable of fully expressing the gratitude I am feeling right now, so I will end this little speech with a final thank you to everyone. Enjoy your evening." Carlisle finished and stepped down to another round of applause. Once he was done and seated servers began to bring out our first course. Dinner passed quickly from course to course. The group of us were seated with Rosalie and Jasper's parents along with a tall brunette woman and two other men. As we waited for our main course one of the men began speaking with Edward about his studies.

"Pst." Alice whispered subtly at my side, I turned to face her as I leaned in closer to better hear her.

"Yes?" I whispered back.

"I just thought you might take a little bit of pleasure in knowing that Lauren is glaring at you." She informed me with a wide grin. I discreetly looked over my shoulder under the pretense of surveying the couples on the dance floor. I saw Lauren seated two tables away from us. As Alice had said she was glaring at me through her slightly overdone smokey makeup. Her blond hair had been pulled slicked back into a ponytail, with two curled tendrils hanging down behind her ears. Her dress was a deep fuchsia with little florets adorning the strapless neck line of the corset topped dress, the bottom was impossible to see since she was seated.

"Oh great." I murmured with a frown and turned back to Alice. Edward reached over and squeezed my hand, sensing my discomfort, but never breaking his conversation. I squeezed back to assure him I was fine.

"Bella, this is a good thing. This is one of those rare rub it in the enemy's face moments, embrace it, nurture it, love it." Alice said with a smile.

"Why is she here anyway?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Her Dad is on the board with Carlisle. One of those, I-want-to-play-doctor types. He owns this multi million dollar company out west somewhere, so he basically bought his way onto the board, that's him up there." She inconspicuously pointed out a roundish balding man up at the head table.

"He's also one of the men who decided to award Edward his internship." Alice continued as servers set our main courses in front of us. It was a simple lemon chicken dish with grilled vegetables on the side. Alice and I continued our chatter all throughout dinner until the plates were cleared and dessert was brought out. The dessert portion of dinner was much less formal, some people sat and enjoyed it while others began to resume dancing, and some just traveled to other tables to mingle with colleagues. The only ones left at our table were Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, and myself. I was laughing at a joke Emmett had made about Edward when a movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. My laughter stopped as I watched Lauren approach our table. I finally got a view of the rest of her dress, the bottom was the same material as the top, and it puffed out a bit, as if there was mesh under it.

"Hello everyone." She said standing between my chair and Edward's, placing a hand on the back of each of our chairs. Her eyes narrowed a bit at the sight of my hand intwined with Edward's but she didn't lose focus.

"Edward, I was wondering if you would like to dance with me?" She asked, and I felt my blood boil, as she leaned in a little and gave him a generous view of her cleavage. Edward's faithful eyes never left Lauren's as he spoke,

"Actually Lauren, I'm sorry, but I was just about to ask Bella to dance." He declined politely, smiling at me. Lauren looked back over her shoulder at me before she daringly leaned in and whispered something in his ear. I looked over to see that the rest of the table was just as shocked as I was. Lauren pulled away and waited for Edward's answer,

"There is not a chance in hell that that will ever be possible. Now if you wouldn't mind leaving, I would like to dance with my girlfriend." Edward said with a frown. Lauren's eyes turned to me with a malicious glare before she stood up and left in a huff.

"Well, then." Rosalie said simply. We all laughed.

"So what'd she say anyway?" Jasper asked, although he wasn't the only one who was curious. Edward let out a laugh,

"She said, 'You know, if you'd let me I could make you scream my name."' Edward finished still smiling at the absurdity of Lauren's statement.

"Is she serious?" Jasper asked.

"I know, seriously, doesn't she know that's Bella's job?" Emmett asked with his cheeky smile. I blushed but didn't answer, Edward did,

"Exactly," Edward agreed, "Now, Bella, shall we dance?" He asked standing up and offering me his hand. I took it and allowed him to lead me back out onto the dance floor. The band struck up a new tune. This one was much slower than the other, yet people were complacent and began moving.

"Are you having a pleasant time?" Edward asked as we swayed.

"Yes, aside from Lauren's little escapade I am having an amazing time. Thanks for inviting me." I said, he laughed.

"Uh-huh because I did such a great job with that aspect." He said sarcastically.

"Hey, you asked didn't you? That's all that matters." I assured him, ruffling his hair playfully as we continued to dance. After a while Emmett cut in and Edward went to get us drinks.

"You guys missed it, James stopped by while you two were too busy being wrapped up in each other's eyes." Emmett informed me.

"What happened?" I asked curiously.

"Not much, Alice just asked him why he couldn't come to her party."

"Why can't he?" I asked intrigued.

"He doesn't want to offend anyone, and of course kind hearted Alice told him not to worry we were all big kids and Edward could deal." Emmett said, with a roll of his eyes,

"Leave it to Alice to trust James, but hey it's her party, what can I do?" He asked rhetorically and we continued to dance

Emmett was surprisingly easy to dance with for someone of his stature he was almost as graceful as Edward.

"Dance lessons." Emmett answered out of the blue.

"Pardon?" I asked confused.

"You seemed surprised I can dance. It was dance lessons, Mom signed us all up for them when we were little. I may have hated them, but they were beneficial nevertheless, although I can't for the life of me remember ever paying attention." He explained.

"Let me guess you were the kid in the back blowing spit bubbles?" I suspected.

"Close, when I was little, I figured out how to take said spit bubbles and keep them in my hand. All you had to do was drink Coke, and it made the saliva more elastic. So I'd put the bubbles in my hand and bring it up as close to a girls face without her noticing, then just wait until they did. It was really fun to do when we were just standing around and watching the instructor." He said with a shrug.

"Emmett that's disgusting." I commented with a laugh.

"Duh, Bells, that was kinda the point." He said laughing along with me.

"Ah Christ." He grumbled quietly, looking over my shoulder.

"What?" I asked, following his gaze. Edward was standing at the drinks table, talking to Lauren and her father. Lauren's father clapped a hand on Edward's shoulder then gestured to his daughter with the other hand. Edward nodded, but I could tell it was very reluctant. Then Lauren held out her hand, which Edward took and they went out onto the dance floor not twenty feet from Emmett and I. I was tempted to go over and hit her for her conniving ways.

"Slow down there Bells, why don't you come sit with Rosalie and I?" Emmett suggested leading me away from Lauren and Edward. Both were watching me, Edward looked apologetic, while Lauren had a triumphant grin plastered on her face.

"That slut." Rosalie commented once Emmett and I arrived at the table, which was now empty with the exception of Rosalie. I sat down,

"Just a touch." I said sarcastically.

"Hello Bella." I voice said from behind me, I turned to see Dr. Brecher pulling out the chair to my left, and sitting.

"Hello." I said, Emmett and Rosalie gave a wave before leaving for the dance floor.

"So are you staying long?" Dr. Brecher asked politely, jumping right into the conversation.

"No, just until the end of the summer." I answered.

"Oh that's too bad." He said sadly, "You seem to be really good for him. Will you be ending it once you leave?"

"No, he and I decided we were going to find a way to make it work." I explained, he frowned.

"Do be careful with that, because this job we have offered Edward will be time consuming to say the least, and the less he had on his plate to worry about the better." He said worried.

"Now, I wish I could talk longer but I really have to go. It was a pleasure to meet you." He said shaking my hand and leaving.

"You too. Um, before you go could you direct me to the bathrooms, I'm sorry?" I said embarrassedly, but my entire party was still dancing and he was the only one I could ask.

"Oh of course," He said with a smile, "Out the double doors and to the left." He instructed.

"Thank you." Then we parted ways. The bathroom was just as lavish as the ballroom, the only thing missing was a woman to hand out towels and mints. I went into one of the stalls, when I came out, Lauren was just entering the bathroom. I made my way over to the sink, steadfastly ignoring her, especially after her little escapade. I could tell that she had used her father's influence over Edward to make him dance with her. She was fixing her lip gloss as I began to wash my hands.

"Enjoying the evening?" She asked. I looked at her in the mirror,

"Of course, that is with the exception of your little trick earlier." I said boldly, getting tired of her schemes, she just smiled.

"Oh, Bella, that was nothing. Just you wait, Edward will be mine, you can be sure of that." She said definitively before closing up her lip gloss and leaving me standing alone in the bathroom.

After I exited the bathroom the Ball went by in a blur of multiple dances with Edward, Jasper, and Emmett until the evening came to an end and we left. I tried to keep a steady, cool demeanor whenever I was around Edward, but I was still shaken fro my confrontation with Lauren. I was pretty sure that he saw right it, but he said nothing as we got ready for bed back at his house. Even as I laid in bed with Edward's secure arms wrapped around me, Lauren's words and the finality in her voice rang out over and over again in my head as I fell into a restless sleep.

**Review please!! That's all I've got for today! Oh and if you liked The Fast and the Furious one and two GO SEE Fast and Furious! It was amazing!!!**

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	44. First Date

**Hi, explanation at the bottom.**

**xoxo, DevIneRosE**

"Bella, wake up, you're having a nightmare." I heard Edward's soft voice calling to me through the haze.

"Bella, I'm here you're okay." My eyes shot open. I looked up to see Edward staring down at me. I could feel my breath coming in sharp quick gasps as the images of my nightmare flashed in my mind. Edward and Lauren tangled in each other's arms in some empty classroom, his lips moving forcefully against hers while her hands were tangled in his hair. At one point Lauren opened her eyes, looked at me, and winked. That's when Edward began shaking me. My stomach was still churning as Edward helped me sit up. He took my face in both his hands, forcing me to look at him,

"Hey, it was just a bad dream." He assured me, but something in my subconscious thought otherwise.

"Kiss me." I said, I had to know what he said was true, I lunged for his lips, but he put his hands on my shoulders and stopped me.

"Wait Bella. What happened?" Edward asked seriously.

"Nothing, it was stupid, and like you said, it was just a nightmare." I said trying to placate him and on some level, myself.

"Now, would you please, I need you to kiss me." I said desperately, I needed his lips on mine in order to rid my brain of the image of him and Lauren together, which was still playing over and over in my head.

"Bella." He said sternly. I let out a sigh and diverted my attention to his sheets where I began to play with the fabric so I wouldn't have to look at him as I mumbled,

"You were kissing Lauren, right in front of me. You were at school and no one was around but me." When I looked up he was staring at me opened mouthed, then his lips turned up into a smile and he unsuccessfully tried to bite back a laugh. A bit hurt by his reaction to my fear, I wormed my way out of his arms and out from under the covers. The chilled air hit my exposed skin as I climbed off the bed, but I didn't make it very far before Edward's arms wrapped themselves around my waist, stopping me. He spun me around to face him,

"Oh Bella, how you could think I would do something like hook up with that vapid tart is absurd." He assured me, but like earlier it did nothing to appease me. When I didn't say anything, his face fell,

"Bella? You _know_ I would never do that, _right_?" His brow was creased in confusion at my silence, my eyes fell from his.

"Who knows, I'll be gone." I whispered with a shrug. As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew there was a major fault in my logic. Edward stared down at me, partially in shock, but I could also seen the betrayal he felt in his eyes.

"Wow Bella, nice to see you trust me. Do you actually think I'd-" He didn't bother to finish. He was clearly disgusted as he shook his head and turned away from me.

"Edward I'm so-" I tried to back track and apologize.

"I'm getting in the shower." He said flatly, cutting off my apology and walking past me into the bathroom. I jumped a little bit when the door slammed more forcefully than normal. When I heard the shower turn on I took a seat on the couch, curling my knees into my chest and wrapping my arms around them as I rested my head on my knees in an effort to calm myself. It was quite fruitless as the tears began to stream down my cheeks in a relentless flow. It hadn't been more than five minutes before I could no longer take it.

I slowly opened the bathroom door and stepped into the steam filled room, quietly shutting the door behind me, so as not to alert Edward to my presence. I leaned back against the sink, the cold shooting through my skin as I waited for him to finish. Eventually the water turned off and I saw his arm reach out and pull a towel off the towel rack before it disappeared behind the shower curtain. When Edward pulled the curtain back the towel was wrapped low around his waist, I refocused my attention, reminding myself what I was supposed to be doing. He stared at me in surprise before stepping out of the shower and soundlessly making his way to the door.

"I'm scared, Edward." I said, it came out slightly choked. Edward froze with his hand on the handle, his back to me. I took a deep breath and explained.

"About what's going to happen when I go. I do trust you, more than any other person in my world, but that doesn't make leaving any easier for me. I'm just scared, be-because, I don't want to go." I used the base of my palm to wipe away the tears that had started back up again.

"I'm sorry." I said, looking up at him. His back was moving up and down steadily as he breathed. Then he pushed himself off the door and turned around to face me. His expression was just as pained as mine as he made his way over to me. Suddenly, one of his hands tangled in my hair around the base of my neck, pulling my forehead forward so it rested on his. While the other hand wrapped around my waist and hugged me to him.

"I know. It's okay." Edward said sincerely.

"I don't want to go, Edward, I don't want to go." I repeated through my sobs and shaking my head against his. His eyes drifted close for a moment, then he looked down at me and took my face in his hands, our eyes met for a short moment before our lips touched desperately. My arms immediately went around his neck, my hands shoving their way through his wet hair. One of his hands let go of my face to travel down my neck, down my chest, lingering for the briefest of moment on my breast then continuing on. My lips parted with a sigh, and I felt his tongue snake welcomingly into my mouth. Then his arm twisted around my waist, yanking me off the ground so he could walk me backwards into the wall. His wet body crushed itself against mine, making me shiver as the water from his chest soaked through my bra. I clung tighter to him despite the cold, what he was doing to me was making up for that ten fold.

"Bella, I got you all wet." Edward said when he felt me shiver, pulling away from me and letting go, much to my dismay.

"Good, don't stop." I said twisting his words with a grin. His eyes sparked, and he swooped me up into his arms once more, carrying me into the bedroom and throwing me onto the bed before climbing on top. I felt the need to show him that I trusted him explicitly, that my comment from earlier was not a reflection of my true feelings, and I knew how I could do it. My hands were shaking as they went to undo the towel, but for the second time that morning Edward stopped me.

"Bella, you don't have to prove yourself to me. I'm yours no matter what. We don't have to do this right now." He thoughtfully informed me as if he had known my intentions the whole time. I felt my cheeks tinge a bit, and my eyes met his. He gently reached up ad tucked a loose pice of hair behind my ears before kissing me gently.

"I love you, we need to do this when there's nothing pushing our hands." He said

"You're right." But as he moved to get off, he slid down me a little bit. Causing the friction I had grown to love.

"Mmmmh."

I rolled us over so I was straddled on top of him.

"Bella, I don't- ahhh."

"I know and you were right, but that doesn't mean I can't have my fun right?" I asked with a grin.

**__________________________________________________________**

"Bella, there's one thing we have to do before you leave." Edward said staring up at the ceiling with his head resting in my lap.

"What's that?" I asked, as we sat on the couch in his room, two days before Alice's final party.

"Go on a date." He said looking at me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked with a laugh as I ran my fingers through his hair.

"Well, I was thinking and I realized we have never been on a date before."

"Yes we have, we..." my voice trailed off on the end, I was trying to rack my brain to figure out when we went on our first date, but the more I though about it the more I realized, out of the three months I had been here, and Edward and I had been together, we had never been on an official date. Sure we had gone out as a big group to places, but Edward and I had never done anything just us.

"Told you so." He gloated.

"Alright, alright Mr. Smug, you're right, but what are you going to do about it?" I asked looking down at him.

"That's the easy part." He said with a smile as he sat up.

"Oh really?" I asked with a raised brow and a smile.

"Of course. Bella, will you go out with me?" He asked confidently.

"Hmm, I don't know." I teased.

"Bella." He said with a smile.

"What?" I asked innocently. "I have to say yes?"

"I would hope so." He said with a smile.

"But what if I don't?" I asked getting up and sitting on the foot of the bed.

"You should." He said watching me.

"Convince me." I said as I leaned back resting on my arms.

"Okay then, if you say so." He said with a shrug before he lunged at me, pushing me back onto the bed. He took both my hands in one of his, and held them above my head, while his other hand went to my stomach and began tickling.

"No-No!" I choked out through my laughter.

"Wrong word Bella." He said without stopping.

"Okay!"

"Okay what?" He asked slyly.

"Okay, I'll go out with you!" I shouted.

"See? The easy part." He said with a grin, I used my knee to lightly hit him in the side.

"Very funny, Edward." I said as I calmed down. He laughed and rolled off of me to lay on his back at my side.

"I was thinking, tonight? I'll pick you up at seven?" He asked. I grinned excitedly.

"That's perfect." I said, and I smiled secretly, so blissfully happy, it felt like nothing could go wrong.

___________________________________________________

I sat on the couch in my living room waiting for Edward to arrive. There were already butterflies in my stomach, I felt like a silly little girl. Edward and I had been together for three months, and I was acting like a twelve year old on her first date. Alice had already left after helping me get ready. In true Alice fashion I was wearing a dress, but thankfully it wasn't one of the extremely short ones, just went down to my knees. It was a very summery cut dress, tight on the top and free flowing from the waist down. The floral print was navy blue against the white background, I had gotten up a couple of times already, and spun around to calm the nerves. Feeling the need to do it again, I stood up and began twirling. The dress fanned out around me as I went around and around, my hair, which Alice had left down and in waves, blurred my vision. I couldn't keep myself from giggling, the simplistic motion keeping down the butterflies. Until my foot got tangled on the edge of the rug and I felt the inertia pull me down to the ground. Something grabbed at my arm, and yanked me up just before my nose became acquainted with the floor.

"Bella, all these years and you're still just as clumsy as always." Charlie laughed as he steadied me.

"Yeah, not something I've been able to grow out of." I said, brushing off the invisible dirt off the front of my dress.

"Nervous?" He asked knowingly.

"No." I said stubbornly.

"I'm your father, not an idiot. So what's with the nerves?" He asked with a smile. I shrugged.

"I don't know. I just have them, it's weird."

"Huh, that is weird, I mean this is what, your 20 something date?" He asked with a laugh. I smiled and shook my head.

"Nope, it's our first." I said flopping down onto the couch. Charlie frowned.

"Oh, well, I guess that's a different story." He said taking a seat next to me.

"Yeah, just a touch." I agreed with a sigh.

"Look, I know I'm your dad, and my relationship record isn't so pristine, but I'm also a cop, and we're trained to pick up things. And if there's one thing I've picked up on these past few months it's that that boy loves you." He said sincerely.

"But that's just what I think." He said and there was a knock on the door. He stood up and handed me the black button up sweater Alice had given me.

"I'm going to head upstairs, make my bed." He said with a smile, I smiled back, knowing full well, he had no intentions of making his bed. I answered the door as Charlie made his way upstairs.

"Hi." I breathed.

"Hi." Edward said simply, then he held out his hand to me. I slid mine into his, and my butterflies disappeared, in a good way. Everything felt right, felt like I could do it for the rest of my life. Hand in hand, Edward led us to the car. He opened my door for me and I got in, buckling my seatbelt as he made his way to the driver's side.

"Where to this evening?" I asked, he turned to me and grinned as he started the car.

"It's a surprise."

"Oh, okay."

"Wait, no argument?" He asked in surprise. I shook my head.

"Nope, not tonight." I reached out and took his hand in mine as he pulled out of the driveway.

"I remember our first car ride." I said reminiscently as I looked out my window. He laughed.

"Of course," He said as he thought about it. "Kept my promise didn't I?" He asked with a grin.

"Pardon?"

"You didn't breaking anyone's nose that night, as I promised." He reminded me, I laughed.

"Lou, I forgot I told you about him. God, that was probably the most embarrassing moment of my life." I said with a groan.

"You think that was embarrassing? How about being thwarted from kissing you twice? I swear I think I would have killed emmet for that had things not turn out the way they did."

"Right, our failed attempts at kissing! And just for clarification, I suffered from that too. If you had any idea how annoying it was." I grumbled.

"I can take a guess." He said with a wink. We drove on thinking back on the happenings of the summer. Mike's party, the carnival, Virginia and Kyle,

"Wait, what did you promise her?" I asked him curiously, he didn't answer, just continued driving.

"Edward?" I pressed.

"Nothing, it was nothing."

"Oh come on, it wasn't nothing, not with the way you're acting.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to tell you. Not yet at least. I promised."

"Please?" I asked turning to him and trying my best to pout. He took one look at my expression and laughed before answering.

"No Bella, I would if I could, but I can't." He began

"So you won't?" I finished for him.

"Yes, and I'm sorry for that." He said sympathetically.

"Yeah, yeah." I said disappointedly, folding my arms over my chest.

"Bella," He said, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Soon, I promise, you'll know before you leave, don't worry." He told me

"Promise?" I asked hopefully.

"Promise." He swore with a laugh.

When we pulled up outside of a restaurant, the nerves came back, only this time I embraced them as I gave Edward my hand and followed him inside for our first date.

**I'm Baaaack!! Not to be sketchy or anything! hehehe anywho, I'm back with a clean bill of health I have fully recovered, just in time for the National AP US History exam, oh joy *rolls eyes* I've been recuperating since I got out a couple of days ago, but I have to go to school tomorrow, if I plan on getting into a good school!! College, AAAAHHH!! Make me gag, or not cuz my lungs r so fucking sore it ain't even funny. Although on the upside my crew coach is now baking me a welcome back cake for the entire team! so I'm souped for that, and to get back to you guys! I understand this chappie is rather repetitive and filler ish but that's just cuz it tots is! From now until the ends its all cliff hangers and plot twists, so heads up (Needless to say, there will be some drama at Alice's come party night!) Anyways, Thanks for sticking with me!! and REVIEW!!**

**IMPORTANT!!!!!: there's a reason I cut their little love scene short, u'll c y in the next chapter...**

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**Next Update: May 14, 2009**


	45. Held Up in the Rain

**Hey Everyone! Here's the redone work!!! All of its in bold so if you've already read this ch, just skip to the bold!! Sry!!**

**xoxo, DevineRose**

"I have a question for you." Edward said as he took a sip from his water.

"Okay." I said looking up at him suspiciously, my menu now seemed pretty boring.

"Since Alice and Rosalie both got you a going away present, does that mean I-"

"No." I said cutting him off, and looking back down at my menu, knowing exactly what he was going to ask of me.

"But-" He began, but I shook my head.

"No, Edward," I said, closing my menu in order to give him my full attention.

"You've given me so much already, you've given me _you_. To get me any other gift would just be absurd." I said sincerely, reaching across the table to take his empty hand in mine as I smiled up at him. He didn't say anything for a moment, as if he were deep in thought.

"Whatever you're planning, it's not going to work, you will not be buying me a going away present." I said stubbornly.

"What if I make it?" He proposed. I considered it for a moment, my real opposition was just to him spending money on me.

"Actually, I'd love that." I said honestly.

"Good. Now what are you going to get?" He asked, looking down at his own menu, his thumb absentmindedly stroking the back of my hand gently. I smiled to myself.

"I was going to go with the mushroom ravioli. What about you?" I asked.

"I have no idea, I was considering the steak, but, I don't know, the Salmon sounds good too, minus the anchovies." He answered, his brow furrowing at the mention of anchovies. I laughed at him.

"Go with the steak, I think the anchovies are cooked into the sauce."

"Do you like anchovies?" He asked me.

"They're okay, but I can see why _some people_ don't like them." I said.

"They taste like fish." He cringed.

"And what does salmon taste like?" I asked with a raised brow.

"No, what I mean is anchovies taste the way uncooked fish smells. Scaly and salty, it makes me sick just talking about it." His expression of disgust made me laugh.

"Get the steak Edward, trust me." I assured him, "Have I ever steered you wrong?" I asked.

"No, I suppose you never have." He said closing his menu decisively before looking back up at me,

"By the way your costume came in the mail today." He informed me.

"Costume?" I asked confusedly.

"For Alice's party."

"Oh no." I groaned, dropping my head into my free hand. Edward laughed,

"Don't worry it won't be that bad." He assured me, but it did nothing.

"Do you know what they are?" I asked hopefully, having some idea of what I would be dressing up as would have made things much easier.

"No, regretfully, I don't. Alice was very tight lipped about the entire thing, knowing that I might spill details. But what I did manage to find out was that your costume matches Rosalie's and Alice's." He said apologetically.

"Oh great." I said dully, he smiled and leaned forward across the table to kiss my cheek. At that moment the waiter came up and took our orders, then left, but not before winking at me. I suppressed a scowl and continued my conversation with Edward, who was also trying to ignore the skeevish waiter.

"You know, I don't normally let guys kiss me on the first date." I teased Edward. He laughed,

"I like having the first date now, gets ride of all of those date jitters and nerves." He said, I looked down at the table trying not to give myself away.

"Are you nervous?" He asked reading right through me.

"I was at first, but only a little." I admitted. He laughed tenderly,

"Bella, it's totally normal, to be completely honest, I was slightly nervous too." He said honestly.

"Why?" I asked.

"They say that if you're first date is terrible, one is most likely not going to go on a second one." He reasoned with mock logic.

"You're terrible, making fun of me and my nerves." I said trying unsuccessfully not to laugh.

"I'm sorry, really. I just think it's funny that both of us had nerves and we've been dating for the past three months. Bella, I love you more than life itself. You are the one person in the world that I could survive anything with, and yet we both seem to have butterflies over something as simple as a first date." His words made my heart race pleasantly.

"I don't know, I guess it's just the formality of it all. It just seems so official." I said with a shrug as I looked around us.

"So then it's _official_, we are dating." He said proudly, I smiled. He raised his glass and I raised mine. They made a slight tinkling sound as they clinked together.

"Yes, of course, because those last few months meant nothing." I joked after taking a sip of my water.

"We both know how untrue that is."

"I know, I wonder what couples normally do on their first date?" I asked.

"Hmm, I don't know, all of my first dates with the exception of one has ended with me running for the hills." He said with a smile.

**"Well, I hope that doesn't happen tonight." I said with a grin.**

** There was no surprise when Edward didn't run at the end of dinner. He paid the waiter and we headed outside to wait for the car. Edward looked up to the night sky thoughtfully before turning to me.**

** "Want to walk for a little bit?" He asked squeezing my hand, I smiled and nodded as he pulled us out from under the lights of the restaurant and onto the moonlit sidewalk. We walked for a block or two before I noticed a park up on a hill. It was a pretty children's playground that was probably teeming with children during the day light hours. There was a big slide, monkey bars, one of those little merry go rounds you have to push then jump on, and beside that were a set of swings.**

** "Swings." I said reminscently. **

** "Pardon?" He asked, I pointed out the swingset up on the hill, he laughed. I leaned my head on his shoulder as we walked and sighed.**

** "I haven't been on a swing since, I can't even remember when." **

** "So let's swing."**

** "Now?" I asked, he and I had come to a stop on the side walk.**

** "Why not?" He asked with a smile, I shrugged.**

** "I don't know." **

** "Come on Bella." He took my hand and took me up the hill. He led me over to a swing, I sat down and looked up at him.**

** "Want to give me a push?" I asked. He laughed and nodded, then walked around behind me. He took the chains by my sides, pulled back and pushed forward. I couldn't keep in the girlish laugh that came out as I went forward in a rush. Edward took the swing next to me, standing in the seat, leaning back and pushing forward to gain momentum. I was using my legs to pump, and I couldn't stop grinning.**

** "I've always wanted to go to a park and swing at night, I have know idea why. Anyway, my parents never let me." **

** "I used to come out here all the time when we first moved out here. That was the original house, up over there." He pointed out a house on the corner of the block. **

** "Edward, be careful." I called up when I noticed he was only holding on with one hand.**

** "Bella, I'm fine, see. Don't-" His voice cut out when he fell backwards off the swing. Landing with his back towards me with a loud thud.**

** "Edward!" I screamed, jumping off my swing to help him. **

** "Edward, are you okay?" I turned him over carefully onto his back. His eyes were closed, and his body lifeless. My mind shoved away all thoughts like that as I tried to gently shake him awake.**

** "Edward?" Nothing. "Edward, come on this isn't funny." I said shaking him a little bit harder, still nothing. Then I saw his lips twitch a little bit at the corners, fighting back a tell tale smile. I reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, flipped it open, and pressed three random numbers,**

** "Hello. I have an emergency. My boyfriend-" At this Edward's eyes opened when he registered what I was doing,**

** "Oh look he's up." I said as he shot straight up, a look of panic on his face. The phone slipped through my fingers as I began laughing so hard my sides had started to hurt. Edward immediately reached for it, putting it up to his ear,**

** "Hello, Hello." He said into the phone worriedly before realizing there was no one on the other line. He looked up at me,**

** "Very funny Bella." He frowned,**

** "Ditto, Edward." I said mimicking his stern voice. "Maybe next time you won't scare the crap out of me." I said as I poked him in the shoulder.**

** "Bella, it was just a joke." He reasoned.**

** "Yeah, you being seriously injured, real funny." I said sarcastically, folding my arms.**

** "Oh Bella, you know I was just playing with you." He said and he pulled me through the sand into his arms. **

** "Although, it did hurt a little bit." He said with a frown, straightening out his back for a moment before slouching back down around me.**

** "Well, don't come to me to kiss it better." I grumbled, snuggling into him.**

** "I'll have you know I wasn't planning to." He said tightening his arms around me playfully. I grinned.**

** We sat there for a while, the moon was out and there was a cool summer breeze blowing through the trees above us, I could smell the pre-rain scent in the air.**

** "It's beautiful out here." I commented.**

** "Yes, you are." He said softly, I turned to look up at him. He smiled down at me, and he leaned in to kiss me. Before his lips could reach mine, I felt a drop of water on my upturned cheek, then another, and another. It began to down pour, we both began laughing as we got up and hurriedly raced to the car. We were throughly soaked by the time we got to the side walk, and the rain still poured down around us. I noticed Edward come to a stop, when I turned around, his head was tilted up to the sky, his eyes closed and he was just laughing.**

** "Edward?" I called through the rain, he looked at me.**

** "Dance with me." He said and he held his hand out to me.**

** "Edward," I laughed, "It's pouring rain."**

** "Who cares? Dance with me." He said again with a grin, his hand still waiting. I smiled up at him and took his outstretched hand. I laughed as he spun me around then pulled me close, swaying back and forth in the rain.**

** "This is the perfect first date." I said simply.**

** "Bella, anytime I spend with you is perfect." He said sincerely, and then his lips met mine in the middle of a summer storm.**

**__________________________________________**

**Alice's party was quickly upon us and the girls and I sat in the bathroom playing Bella Barbie for the final time. **

** "Aww this is gunna make me cry!" Alice said, dramatically pretending to tear up.**

** "Oh Alice, calm down." Rosalie said as she began to put my hair up into a loose bun.**

** "What you're not sad Rose?" Alice teased as she began reapplying lipstick.**

** "Of course I am, but Alice, she's not dying, she's moving, plus knowing the two of them, she'll be back every other weekend. So, calm down."** Rosalie said as she began to put my hair up into a loose bun. I had finally been able to see the costumes. Alice, Rosalie, and I were cancan girls, only a hint more, lustful, a mix of Moulin Rouge and the Pussycat Dolls to be perfectly blunt. The pouffed skirt I was wearing came down to where most of the other dresses Alice had put me in fell. It was an ice blossom blue color, and the hem on the layered puff of a skirt was gold, giving it a somewhat elegant look. The corset top portion of the dress, was the same color blue, and closed in the back with a gold ribbon that laced up from the bottom of my spine to between my shoulder blades. The front had spaghetti straps with gold bows at the shoulders, and there was a bit more mesh around the neckline, accentuating my instant cleavage. My hair had been pulled back into a loose bun with a couple of lightly curled tendrils framing my face. Then to complete the out fit Alice had given me a pair of ruffle underwear that were the same color blue as my dress. I had tried to protest, claiming my own underwear could do the job just fine, but her pleas and her argument that this would be the last time she got to do this became too much and I relented. Rosalie's skirt was layered with black and red fabric, one color on top of the other until it reached just below the middle of her thigh. The top was also a corset top, with vertical black and red stripes to match her skirt. The sleeves were off the shoulder, strips of black and red ribbon holding up the dress. Her hair was pulled into a low side ponytail with big ringlets that came down in front between her neck and shoulder.

Alice was just finishing up the finishing touches of her make up in the mirror in front of me. Her skirt had multicolor layers like Rosalie's, only hers were black and pink. The bust of her dress was just ruffles of black mess, much like that of Dana Wynter's dress in Invasion of the Body Snatcher, only instead of gingham for the main chunk of the corset, it was hot pink satin with a black lace overlay.

"I'm so excited for tonight." Alice exclaimed as she capped her lipstick.

"Yeah, I just hope nothing bad happens." I said pessimistically, but with good reason, nothing good ever came out of parties like these for me.

"Don't worry, I made sure we wouldn't have any problems tonight." Alice said with a devious smile,

"Alice what did you do?" I asked suspiciously.

"Well, after hearing hat Lauren said to you at the ball I couldn't very well have her here tonight, now could I?" Alice asked innocently, before I could argue, she spoke again,

"Oooh and now for the fun part of the costume!" Alice exclaimed then she ran out and came back into the bathroom, carrying three pink boxes.

"Uh oh." I said to myself as Alice handed a box to Rosalie and I.

"Go on, open them." She said as she set hers on the counter and opened it. I sat down in my Bella chair and did the same. There was pink wrapping paper folded daintily on top, I slowly pulled them apart to reveal a pair of fishnet thigh highs. I pulled them out, setting the box on the floor at my feet, and holding the pieces of fabric in front of me. I looked to see Rosalie sliding hers on effortlessly.

"Alice, I can barely keep up stockings, how are these supposed to stay up?" I asked puzzled.

"With this." She said as she walked over and picked up the box I had discarded, and pulling out one more item.

"A garter belt?!" I exclaimed when I saw what she was holding in her hands. The thin fabric was only a few inches high and made out of blue lace, the straps were satin and the clips at the bottom had little dark blue crystals on them.

"It'll be perfect, plus it goes with the costume."

"But Alice, I don't even know how to get it on." I said, glancing up at Rosalie, who already had her stockings and garter belt on, and was just doing some final touch ups to her outfit.

"Here, I'll show you." She said, and she started to help me but then the door bell rang and the first of the guests began to arrive. Alice, always the dutiful host, had to go downstairs to greet them but not before leaving rosalie in charge of getting me dressed.

"Okay, so put you legs though." Rosalie instructed, I did as told and then she pulled the belt up. The lace sat low on my waist, the clasps dangling from it.

"Now put on your fishnets." Once again I followed her instructions. It was a little bit more difficult since I had never really worn fishnets before and my toes kept getting stuck. Once they were finally on all the was Rosalie double checked them before she began to clip them into the clasps. We were almost done when Alice burst into the room.

"That evil little bitch!" She proclaimed, slamming her door behind her.

"Alice what's going on?" I asked at the same time Rosalie said, "Who?"

"I'm really sorry Bella, I tried but she never actually answered her phone, so I figured a message or two would work, but I don't think she got the messages either."

"Alice what are you talking about?" I asked with puzzlement.

"Lauren. She's here."


	46. Worrying

**Hey everyone! Yeah, I know, I've been off my game those last two chapters were complete shit, no wonder no ones been reviewing, personally, i don't blame you I wouldn't have reviewed either!! So I've been going back and fixing them, hence why it's taken so long for me to post!! (sry bout that) anyway, so I'm posting this next chappie today and the revisions are going to be up tonight!! basically i'm making their first date better!! So yeah, hopefully this chapter is better then the rest.**

**XoXo, DEVinerOSE**

**Own nothing, that shouldn't surprise you!**

"But if it makes you feel any better she looks like a hooker coming off of a conjugal visit with a man whose been in prison so long he can't remember what daylight looks like. Honestly, I think I've seen more clothing on a stripper." She said brightly.

"Not really helping Alice, but thanks for trying." I said sardonically as the image of a scantily clad Lauren making out with Edward passed through my mind. I couldn't help but cringe.

"That's it, I'm making her leave!" Alice said getting up from where she had sat down on the edge of the bed and making her way to the door.

"What? Alice, no. It's not that big of a deal, I don't know why you disinvited her in the first place." I said with a sigh as I slipped on the precarious shoes Rosalie had handed me. They were blue with a big gold bow on the back of each of them.

"Not that big of a deal? Are you kidding me? She talked to _you_ about _my_ brother like he was a piece of meat for the taking. Bella, she threatened you, that to me, is a pretty big deal." Alice argued.

"Alice, just let it go." Rosalie said, coming to my defense which surprised both Alice and I. "Plus, it's her-" Rosalie started.

"Rose!" Alice shouted, cutting her off.

"It's my what?" I asked my interest piqued.

"Nothing." Alice said turning to me, "Nothing, you're right, let's just go and have a good time." Alice said putting on a smile,

"I'm not letting that slut ruin my night! Now, whose ready to party?" She asked excitedly, all thoughts of Lauren out the window for her, but my stomach was churning at the thought of Lauren being down stairs, Alice must have noticed,

"Bella, are you okay?" She asked, placing a comforting arm on my upper arm.

"Alice why don't you head down, I'd like to have a word with Bella." Rosalie said stepping forward. Alice smiled,

"Okay, I'll see you when you come down." Then she headed out the door, closing it behind her.

"Sit." Rosalie instructed, pointing to the edge of the bed once the door was shut. I did as she said and she took the seat next to me.

"What's the problem?" She asked thoughtfully with a sigh.

"What do I do if I see her?" I mumbled embarrassed and unable to look at her.

"Bella, you're letting her get to you too much, she made one empty threat, on one night, honestly, she can't do anything with Edward, not without his approval, and you know as well as I do, that'll never happen." She said honestly.

"I know, but I'm still worried." I said, staring at my freshly painted nails which were situated in my lap.

"Wait, Lauren, _worries_, you?" She asked her tone questioning my sanity, to avoid looking any more unintelligent , I just nodded instead of opening my mouth.

"Bella don't be a dumb ass, you are a beautiful young woman, and for some absurd reason you can't seem to see that, and that's okay, one day you will, but for now, just try to think that, okay? And if she bothers you, just tell her you've got Edward so suck it up and move on. Then if that doesn't work, you can come to Alice and I and we can pummel her for you, okay?" Rosalie asked with a smile, I nodded, still taken aback from her kind words and this new side of her. She wrapped an arm around my shoulders and squeezed them, I felt a sense of relief wash over me.

"Thanks Rosalie." I said looking up at her. She laughed,

"Whatever, I was just being honest." She said nonchalantly, but after spending the summer with her, I realized that she just may be, if I was lucky, warming up to me.

"Come on, let's go enjoy the party before it's over." She said standing up then helping me to my feet.

The music was blasting downstairs, and the sound of people having fun carried it's way up the stairs to the second story landing where Rosalie and I were perched.

"You're going to have to go down there sometime." Rosalie said noticing my apprehension,

"Yeah, you're right." I agreed.

"I know, now come on before I have to go and get Emmett, because believe me I will."

"No, I'm fine." I said willfully.

"Good, let's go."

When we got downstairs there were people everywhere, much more so then on Edward's birthday. It was then same basic set up as Edward's birthday had been, a DJ and clear dancing space in the living room with a couple of tables in the dining room. The only difference was that this party extended out into the back yard where a dance floor had been laid out in the grass with a rooftop of white Christmas and speakers blasting the DJ's music to the partiers. Rosalie led me around for a walk about the party for a while before we bumped into Emmett. My jaw dropped when I saw his costume for the evening. He was wearing a full tux, complete with shirt tails, a crisp white shirt, blood red vest and matching bow tie. To pull the whole ensemble together her was also wearing a top hat and carrying a cane under his arm and two clear plastic cups in hand.

"Oh my God, Emmett." I commented as he handed Rosalie a drink.

"Anyone spike this yet?" Rosalie asked Emmett, who handed me the other drink he was holding.

"Nope, not yet at least, these came directly from the caterers in the kitchen." Emmett said proudly.

"Thanks Emmett," I said raising my glass to him in gratitude, "But would you care to explain your costume?"

"Remember that bet we made?" He asked,

"Like I could forget."

"Well, you should know Alice won, so not only did you have to go on your date with Newton, who's looking for you by the way, he said he wanted to tell you something," He said with a grin at me, "But I had to dress up as the ringleader for you three clowns, which come to think of it, isn't all bad." He explained and he pulled playfully on Rosalie's skirt, trying to lift it up.

"You're a pig." Rosalie said with a laugh as she slapped away Emmett's hand. He caught her hand and tugged her into him, tucking her under his arm. Her left hand was resting on his chest, displaying, for the world to see, her glittering engagement ring.

"Wait, Mikes looking for me?" I groaned.

"Yeah, good luck with avoiding him, there's no hiding behind Edward, he's upstairs, something to do with you and a going away surprise, and it having to be homemade?" Emmett explained with a puzzled expression.

"Really I-"

"Oh my God." Rosalie said, nearly choking on her drink in laughter. I stopped what I was saying and I followed her line of vision to the dance floor where, grinding against Tyler, was none other than Lauren Mallory, dressed up as Eve, post temptation. She was wearing a green triangle bikini top that had a single leaf on each cup and a mini skirt that couldn't have been longer then my forearm that was also covered in leaves, then absolutely nothing else aside from a little crown made from twisted twigs.

"Wow." Was all Emmett could say, but he was obviously unimpressed, just a little grossed out.

"How does her mother let her out in public?" I asked my companions.

"That, Bella, is a very decent question." Jasper said coming up behind us dressed up as a cowboy, a cowboy hat, pair of light jeans, and a denim button up.

"We're talking about Lauren's choice of wardrobe I presume?" Rosalie nodded to her brother.

"I know, I'm pretty sure I can see her vagina from her." Alice said skipping over.

"Alice!" I said, although, I'm not sure why I was surprised by Alice's comment. Jasper and Emmett began laughing hysterically with each other. Jasper wrapped an arm around Alice's waist and hugged her.

"Oh Alice." He said with a laugh.

"What? It's true." She said honestly with a shrug.

"I love you." Jasper laughed and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"Anyway, Bella, Mike's looking for you." Alice said with a grin.

"Come on guys, this isn't fair." I groaned, while I thought Mike was a nice guy, I could only imagine what he wanted to talk about.

"Bella, there you are!" Speak of the devil, Mike had spotted me and was making his way through the crowd over to us.

"Bella hi, can I talk to you?" Mike asked once he was within a few feet of me.

"Uh, sure Mike. What's up?" I asked.

"Oh, um, I kind of wanted to talk to you alone." He said glancing over my shoulders nervously at Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice. My 'friends' were overly eager to leave Mike and I alone.

"Mike, you could go up to my room, it's probably quieter up there." Emmett offered, Mike smiled, and I turned around to glare at Emmett,

"Bella knows which one it is, I'm sure she could show you." Adding more fuel to the fire, when I turned back around to face Mike, he was grinning ear to ear.

"Thanks Emmett." He said gratefully.

"No problem."

"Bella?" Mike asked me, looking at the stairs, I smiled politely and began to lead the way upstairs. When we got to the second floor I opened Emmett's door and stepped inside. I tried leaving the door open, but Mike shut it.

"Bella, there is something I have to let you know before you leave," He began, and I knew exactly where this was going, and I dreaded it,

"Yes, Mike?" I prodded, trying to get this over with as soon as possible.

"Ok, now it's taken me all summer just to tell you this, so please let me just get it all out, before I chicken out once again. Bella, I like you, I really, really like you, and I understand you're with Cullen, but I thought that if I told you, you might reconsider your options." He said, staring at the rug on Emmett's floor the entire time, nervously ringing his hands.

"Mike, I like you too-" However, before I could get to the 'but not like that' part, Mike's lips were coming towards mine. I was able to quickly dive to the side, narrowly avoiding a full on kiss as he had planned, causing him to fall face first onto Emmett's bed. Once he righted himself he seemed confused.

"But-" He began,

"Mike, I don't like you like_ that_." I explained regretfully, as much as I didn't want to date him, he was still a really sweet guy.

"I'm sorry, it's just I love Edward, and nothing is going to change that."

"Oh, no, of course not, um, I'm sorry. I guess I just got a little over excited when you said, I like you too, I should have let you finish. I'll just go now." He said dejectedly, and I began to feel really bad, I had no feelings for him, but he was still someone I considered a friend.

"Mike wait," I said stopping him. "Would you like to dance?" I asked hoping this would compensate for me hurting him, even if just for a little bit.

"Um, sure I'd love to." He said nervously, but he was grinning now.

"Alright, let's go then." I said, Mike turned and opened the door to find a very irate Edward on the other side. He seemed to be fuming, but I could barely concentrate on that due to his choice of wardrobe.

He was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, with a silk black button up, in his mouth were two elongated canines, obviously the work of caps, but either way, Edward made a very convincing, very attractive vampire.

"Newton." Edward said, dragging me out of my fantasies and into reality, I saw Mike pale in complexion at the sight of a very ticked off Edward,

"Care to explain what you're doing in a bedroom, with the door shut, with my girlfriend?" He asked, it was rather comical the way Mike stumbled over his words in fear.

"Edward, he was just saying goodbye." I said calmly coming to Mike's defense, walking up to Edward and placing placating kiss on his cheek, making sure he didn't think the wrong thing. I looked over at Mike, who was once again staring at the floor.

"We were just off to dance, nothing happened." I explained. Edward looked between Mike and I.

"I'm sorry Edward, honestly, nothing happened." Mike said backing me up.

"We were just about to head back downstairs for a dance." Mike continued to explain.

"Go ahead, she'll be down in a minute." Edward instructed Mike, who left and went down stairs.

"Edward, I really never meant for you to worry, honestly nothing happened." I assured Edward, his eyes were looking me up and down, waiting for me to finish, but he never said anything. As soon as I was done, his body crushed up against mine, pressing me into the wall,

"Bella, do you have any idea how attractive you look right now?" Edward whispered in my ear. I shook my head, per usual I couldn't speak. I felt his teeth nip at my ear as he grinded against me.

"Well, that's a shame," I felt his fingertips graze the top of my thigh, along the garter. They stopped at the hem of my skirt, and I felt my heart stutter.

"You are so attractive, you have no idea how hard it is for me to not take you up against this wall right now." He said deeply, his fingers began to trail upwards again and my stomach tightened. One of his fingers hooked under the strap of the garter, pulled it up a little, and let it snap back down. The slight pinch didn't hurt at all, just sent an array of sensors throughout my body.

"Ahh." I whispered, my head falling back against the wall. His lips went from my ear down to my neck, where he began to lick, bite, and suck a path across my neck down to the tops of my breasts, which were protruding due to my costume. He placed gossamer kisses on top of each one,

"Agghhh." I moaned, and his tongue flicked out and licked the valley between my to breasts. His hand began to massage the skin at the top of my thigh, his thumb on the inside dangerously close to my underwear.

"Stop it, I can't take-Edward!" I tried to speak, but my mind was in shambles from his ministrations. His thumb had slipped inside my underwear, rubbing the soft skin in just the right place.

"How's that Bella, did you want me to stop?" He asked,

"No, no, unnhhh, no, don't, uhh stop." I gasped, my hips were bucking trying to feel, more. Then he stopped, pulling his hand away and taking a step back, away from me.

"Bella, I'm pretty sure you said stop, plus don't you have a dance to get to?" He asked, I couldn't move, the feeling in my stomach almost bordering on painful. I could sense that he was just as frustrated as I was, but at least he was in some sort of control.

"Come on, Bella, we'd better be getting down stairs." He said offering me an innocent hand,

"You," I gasped, unable to form a complete sentence, "Are, cruel." I was trying to calm myself down and it was working, slowly but surely much to my dismay.

"You know I'm not that mean." He said with a grin, then his hands were at my hips, pulling me into him. The fire I had just been trying to squelch started up again, as his lips crashed into mine and his hand was once again traveling up my thigh, only this time, it was both hands, one on either leg, and they went all the way up to the top of my underwear, lifting my skirt up and out of the way. His thumbs hooked onto my underwear, and slowly pulled them down, exposing me completely as they rested on my mid thigh. Edward's lips moved down to suck at the skin on my neck as one of his hands trailed back up the inside of my thigh to my center. His other hand began to massage my thigh like before, causing my stomach to knot even tighter.

"Mmmmh." I groaned, he continued on like that without stopping until waves of pleasure rolled throughout me and I could barely stand as always. He pulled my underwear back up, settling everything into place. Neither of us moved for a while.

"We always seem to do this in times like these." I commented with a weak laugh.

"Yeah, hm, I guess you're right." He said thinking about it.

"We should probably get downstairs, Mike's still waiting on you, you know."

"As I said before, you're terrible, and don't think you've gotten away with what you did. I'm going to get you back for that." I promised with a glare.

"I'm sure you will." He said with a grin before walking me downstairs to an awaiting Mike.

**So what'd ya think, personally, I liked it, but while what i think is great, could be you're terrible, so review!! You all know the drill!!!!!!**

**Sooner Update: 1,145 reviews (total)**

**Next Update: May 30, 2009**

**RIP- Daddy's Little Cannibal- You are missed.**


	47. Ginger Words

**Hey everyone! Technically it is the 29th but in my mind it's still the 28th, just very late at night. Without further adieu ch 47. **

**xoxo, devinerose**

**Own nothing, SM does**

I followed Edward downstairs, to where Mike was waiting, seated at a table in the dining room.

"Sorry to keep her." Edward said,

"No, it's no problem." Mike said nervously, standing up.

"You two have fun." Edward said before turning to me, "I'll see you after." He said placing a kiss on my cheek and walking off to talk to Rosalie. Mike let out a visible sigh of relief,

"Care to dance?" He asked.

"Love to." I said with a smile. Mike grinned at this and we walked over to the dance floor together. Brighter than Sunshine was blasting through the speakers. Mike placed his hands respectfully on my hips, while I reached up and wrapped mine around his neck. We began to sway like the other couples around us.

"Sorry about earlier, I didn't mean to cause any trouble." Mike said apologetically.

"Mike's its fine, he knows nothing happened that would cause him any worry." I said reassuringly.

"So what are you supposed to be?" I asked, he was wearing a black tux and his hair was slicked back with gel. When I asked he stood up straighter, and turned his head slightly to the side before answering.

"Bond. James Bond." He said with a phony British accent. I laughed and he relaxed his stature.

"Good choice, you pull off Bond quite well." I complimented, he smiled proudly.

"Thanks Bella. You do to, you're the best, uh, um" He paused, unsure of what I was.

"Can can girl." I filled in for him.

"Right, you're the best can can girl I've ever seen."

"Thanks Mike." At that point his phone went off. Our movement paused for a moment, then he continued to sway us.

"Mike, it's okay, you can answer it, I'll wait." I told him.

"Just two seconds, I'm sorry." He said taking a hand off my hip to reach into his jacket pocket, pulling out a phone. He flipped it open and held it to his ear.

"Yeah?" He answered, then paused to listen. He looked at me for a moment.

"No way!" He said irritatedly. "You have to wait." He looked down at me for a moment. then looked away,

"J, no that doesn't-" He stopped and listened for a moment before groaning and continuing,

"Fine, fine, but _only_ because I owe you." He said dejectedly before hanging up and sliding the phone back in his pocket.

"Bella, I'm really sorry, but-"

"Mike it's ok, I understand, now go do what you have to do." I said understandingly.

"Thanks Bella, It was nice knowing you." He said pulling me in for a hug, "I hope you come back for a visit." He said with a smile as he released me.

"Of course I will."

"I'm still really sorry about leaving like this." He said regretfully.

"Mike," I said with a laugh, "It's fine, go."

"Alright, bye Bella." He finally relented before walking away.

"Bye Mike!" I called after him. He turned around and waved, I waved back and he left. I was about to go find Edward when another pair of hands took up residence where Mike's had been.

"Hey Bella." James said with a smile.

"Hi."

"May I?" He asked politely, gesturing to our stance.

"Sure." I said and I put my arms around his neck as he moved us.

"Leaving soon?" He asked.

"Yeah." I said glumly, surprised by his choice of conversation topics.

"That sucks. If it makes you feel any better, I wish you weren't leaving, because I'm really going to miss you." He said with a sweet smile.

"Not you too." I said with a groan.

"Pardon, 'Not me too' what?" He asked confused. I felt myself blush at how presumptuous I had been, when he really was just telling me he would miss me.

"I'm sorry, I just though, oh never mind, it's not important." I said trying to brush away my earlier comment,

"No, come on tell me." He pressured with a laugh.

"Well earlier Mike, he told me he liked me, and I though you were going to do the same." I admitted embarrassedly.

"Did you want me to?" He asked with a playful smile, but something in me told me he wasn't just joking.

"No, I think I'm good on people other than my boyfriend professing their love to me tonight." I said with a laugh.

"Wait, you two are still together?" He asked puzzled.

"Um, yeah why wouldn't we be?" I asked just as confused as he seemed to be.

"Well, you're leaving aren't you?" He asked.

"And?"

"Well I just thought with him starting the internship soon and you living on the other side of the country, I would have assumed you ended things." He explained with a shrug.

"No, we're staying together, everything has been figured out, he's going to come up and visit every month and a while back they invented this handy device called the phone. We'll be fine." I assured him, but on some level it felt like I was assuring myself.

"Be that as it may I'm just glad I'm not him." To this I raised an eyebrow.

"Wow, that sounded really bad. What I meant was, school and work at the hospital are going to suck the life out of him. To have to balance a long distance relationship with all of that. The restless nights, the jet lag, needless to say, it'll all but kill him. So, it's safe to say I don't envy him, I enjoy sleeping way too much. But I guess with you as a prize it's worth it." He explained ending with a smile. The song had come to an end and I was speechless as James' words echoed in my ears.

"Well, if I don't see you before you leave," He said, pulling me into a hug,

"Good bye, Bella."

"Bye, James." I said when he pulled away.

"Bella," Emmett called. I turned to see Emmett making his way over to me, glaring at James. When he reached us he wrapped a protective arm around my shoulders,

"Emmet." James greeted Emmett flatly.

"James." Emmett responded with equal coldness.

"Bella." I said mocking the two of them in hopes of dispelling the tension in the air. It worked on some level, James laughed at me.

"I'm going to miss you Bella." Then he turned and disappeared into the crowd.

"Damn Bells, you just seem to be raking in the boys tonight Bella." Emmett said looking down at me with a laugh as he squeezed my shoulders gently.

"Believe me, I didn't ask for it." I complained shaking my head.

"Touche little Bell, come on let's get you something to drink." He said leading me off the dance floor and into the dining room

"Have a seat." He instructed before heading over to the drinks table. I smiled politely at a couple seated at another table before taking my seat. I looked up at Emmett who had ducked behind the table to pull out a bottle of Schweppes ginger ale and two glasses. He walked over and placed a glass on the table for him and one in front of me, before turning the seat next to me around, so the back was facing me, and sitting backwards in the chair.

"Alright little sis," He began, opening the bottle of soda,

"Let's hear it, what'd Mike say once he got you _alone_?" He asked pouring some of the sparkling drink into my glass.

"Oh no.'' I said with a groan as I took the cup.

"Come on," He pushed, "It's nothing to be ashamed of. If I were you, I'd be flattered." He teased with a smile.

"I am, but I still didn't want that." I said, taking a sip of my ginger ale.

"Bella, what happened?" Emmett pushed once again,

"Fine, fine, you really want to know?" I asked, he nodded eagerly.

"After we went up to your room, he began talking. He said that he had something he needed to tell me before I left. Then he paused for a minute, before jumping right in. He said that he really really liked me, and that he understood I was with Edward, but he thought that if he told me I might change my mind." I mumbled the last past, and immediately began drinking my soda, not making eye contact with Emmett, who had already begun hysterically laughing at my expense.

"Stop laughing, Emmett, it wasn't funny, it was actually kind of sad. I really felt bad." He tried to stop, but he couldn't seem manage to control himself,

"That's it, I'm not telling you anything else." I threatened.

"No, no. I-I'll stop." He said through his laughter, then he mashed his lips together in an attempt to stop laughing, when he did I continued.

"I proceeded to try and tell him that I liked him, but not like that, but before I could get that second part out, he lunged at me, trying to kiss me. I moved out of the way and he fell on top of your bed." I finished with a wince.

Emmett looked to be using every ounce of strength in his body to keep from smiling, he failed miserably. His booming laugh rang out as I'm guessing he was picturing the events I had just described.

"Bella, I'm sorry for laughing, but that's freaking priceless. Come on Bella, you have to see the humor in that." He said, I shook my head, but as I thought about it, even I couldn't keep from smiling a little at the absurdity of Mike's actions.

"I just feel bad though, Mike's really sweet, he deserves someone." I said reaching forward and pouring myself another glass.

"Don't worry once you're out of the picture, he'll get his girl." He said, completely sure of himself.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Did you ever meet Jessica?" He asked.

"Yep, at Mike's party at the beginning of the summer, she was the one with brown hair right?" I asked, he nodded.

"Well, from what I hear, she's been trying to get Mike all summer long, and with you across the country and no longer a distraction, I'm assuming she'll get her chance." He explained.

"Good, I'm glad."

"To Mike and Jessica." Emmett said holding up his glass to me with a smile, I smiled back and clanked my glass with his.

"So what else happened with Mike?" Emmett asked after he took a sip of his drink.

"We danced for a little bit then his phone rang, I told him to answer it, someone named J, oh well," At this Emmett's eyes lit up for a moment,

"What?" I asked curiously.

"Nothing, go on." He said.

"They argued for a bit, then Mike said he had to go." I finished.

"I take it that's when James stepped in?"

"Yep, which wasn't as nice as I would have expected." I said with a sigh. Emmett tensed up.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked protectively.

"No, it's just, something he said, is really getting at me." I said. Emmett said nothing, waiting for me to go on,

"We were talking about me going home and he automatically assumed Edward and I were going to break up. When I explained to him that we were staying together, he said he was glad he wasn't Edward because the whole experience of his job, school, and me would be the death of him." I said, staring at the table, then I looked up at Emmett who seemed as shocked as I had been.

"I mean, is he right?" I asked self consciously. Emmett opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Rosalie.

"Bella, Edward asked me to come get you, he finished your present and is waiting up in his room for you. She said before standing behind Emmett and resting her hands on his shoulders.

"Right, okay. Bye guys." I said sanding up and heading for the stairs. The higher I went the more the noises from the party began to fade away. When I reached his room on the third floor, the door was shut. I knocked lightly,

"Edward?" I called out to let him know it was me.

"Close your eyes." I heard his voice from the other side of the door. I smiled and did as he said.

"Are they closed?" He asked.

"Yes! Now open the door." I said with a laugh.

I heard the door latch click open, and the door swing open slowly. I felt him reach out and take my hand, I placed my other hand on the wall to help me keep my balance as he gently guided me into his room, shutting the door behind us.

"Open your eyes."

**IMPORTANTE!! I know this was mostly filler, I was going to put in part of the next ch in this one, but as I read it, it felt like I couldn't break it up, it all needed to happen at once, seeing as its a pretty big thing. Oh well, review, please, they are what keep me going!!**

**Sooner update: 1170 reviews (total)**

**Next Update: June 6, 2009**


	48. Rose Red

**Hey Everyone! Thanks for the reviews, hope you enjoy this ch. not much to say(lemon)!!**

**xoxo, DEVINEROSE**

**I own nothing!!**

Edward had dimmed the lights so my eyes had to adjust to the darkness of the room. The smell of roses filled my nose as I looked around the room to find it covered in rose petals. Every surface had splashes of pink, orange, yellow, and red on it until there was nothing but roses.

"Edward," I gasped, before noticing the glass wall. Taped up in red rose petals, it read,

_Edward Cullen Loves Isabella Swan_

My heart raced as I read the words he had broadcasted to everyone,

"Do you like it?" He asked walking over to his desk and picking up a wrapped package, the one thing in the room not covered by pieces of flower.

"'Do I like it?' Edward, it's perfect." I said honestly, his nervous grin widened as he looked up at me. He made his way back over to me, handing me the parcel he had picked up. It was wrapped in gold wrapping paper, and I could tell even before I opened it that it was a picture frame. Once he handed it to me, he stood behind me, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist as I opened his final present. Inside was a black picture frame, with a white matte. Inlaid, where a picture would normally be, was an unlined piece of paper, with a poem on it, obviously hand written, in Edward's elegant script. Before I could read it, Edward's velvet voice began whispering it into my ear,

"I carry your heart with me(I carry it in my heart), I am never without it(anywhere I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)." He paused in his reading to press a kiss under my ear, I felt my eyes begin to water at the tenderness of what he was saying.

"I fear no fate(for you are my fate, my sweet) I want no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true) and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you." He stopped again this time placing another gentle kiss on my neck.

"Here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart." He paused again, this time to let the words of the poem take root in me before continuing.

"I carry your heart(I carry it in my heart)" The last part was nothing more than a light whisper in my ear. I felt a tear slip down my cheek, it was out of my control.

"No tears." He said, turning me around to face him, he took the frame out of my grasp and set it down on the couch, before his hand went to my cheek, carefully brushing away the small droplet.

"No, they're good tears, Edward, that was beautiful." I said sincerely,

"Courtesy of E.E. Cummings. I'm glad you liked it." He said, brushing aside a curl of my hair to rest his palm on my neck, as he stroked my cheek with his thumb.

"Thank you, for everything, for all of this. For us." I said quietly.

"Now that's one thing I am equally thankful for." He said with a grin, pulling me closer to him. Then his lips were on mine, his tongue licked lightly at my lips and they parted under him, relishing the feel. His hold on my waist got tighter as he pulled my body into his, not allowing any room between us. This kiss felt so different from the rest, it felt so much deeper, if that was at all possible, my stomach twisted into knots and my blood boiled, and if not for his hold on me, I would have fallen over. Edward sensed my instability and he walked us backwards until I was pressed up against one of the polls on his bed. I pushed myself into him, he didn't budge, causing our bodies to grind against each other, I let out a soft moan. His hand began to trail up to the back of my dress.

His hands paused on the ribbon at my lower back. He looked up at me, and I could tell we both knew what would happen if he pulled that string. His eyes searched mine for some sign showing I wanted him to stop, but as I searched myself, I found none. I was ready, I was ready to share this with Edward. He nodded as he saw what he needed to see in me, and his hands carefully undid the neat golden bow. His fingers nimbly undid the entire thing in a matter of minutes, unlike the time it had taken to get it on.

The butterflies in my stomach fluttered as his lips kissed and sucked their way down my neck to the straps at my shoulders, using his teeth he slowly pulled the strap down, then kissed his way across my collar bone to do the same at the other side. When he pulled back, the lacing was undone and the straps were off. He slowly pushed the dress off my body, leaving me in nothing but my under garments.

"Bella, you're beautiful." He whispered as he stared at me in awe.

My hands went to the buttons on his shirt, my fingers were shaking in a mixture of excitement and nerves, so much so I was surprised I had even gotten them all undone. His hands released me for a moment so I could slip the shirt from his shoulders, revealing his bare chest for me. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to the skin right below his neck, I heard him let out a breath of air. I did it again, only this time a little lower. I continued on like that, each kiss gaining a little moan from Edward, until I was on my knees in front of him and had reached the top of his pants.

My heart was racing in my chest as I moved my hands to unbutton his jeans, I looked up at him to find his eyes locked on mine as I slowly lowered the zipper and pushed down his pants. He stepped out of them, and I turned my attention back to what I was doing. His erection was blatant as it pressed against the fabric of his boxers, I used my hands to slowly push away the fabric, releasing his manhood. He kicked those off as well, I let my hands take hold of it before pressing my lips gently to the head, and licking it, he let out an encouraging hiss. I took the head into my mouth and began to suck slowly as I stroked what part I couldn't fit in my mouth with my hands. It was plain to see that Edward was more than well endowed,

"Bella, God, that feels so," He gasped out, his words failing him, as mine alway had. I added more pressure and pulled more of him into my mouth. I felt him grasp tightly to the pole on the four poster to steady himself.

"Ungh, Bella, you, uhhh, shit." I grinned to myself, "Bella, you have to stop," I let my teeth rake gently against the length of him, instead of doing as he asked. He let out a moan,

"Seriously Bella, stop. I'm not going to be able to-mmmh, I need you to stop." He tried to say, I pulled away and looked up at him puzzled.

"I want to finish inside of you." He said before reaching down and lifting me up onto the bed. He kneeled in front of me, smiling at me as his hands trailed up my thighs to the clips of my garters, he undid one, releasing the thigh highs. Using his teeth, he took the top of he fishnet, and pulled it all the way down to my ankle. I let out a groan, and he grinned as he pulled the fabric off and tossed it somewhere into the room. He pressed a kiss to the inside of my ankle and kissed his way up the inside of my leg, his tongue slipping out every once in a while.

"Mmmh, Edward." I breathed, and he continued to kiss his way up, not stopping until he was at the very top of my thigh, his nose skimmed my underwear. I let out a whimper and he did the exact same thing to my other leg. When he reached the top of my leg again, he took a deep breath,

"That smell, Bella, you smell so good." He said and his hands reached up to the top of my underwear. I leaned back onto the bed so he could pull them off, he did so agonizingly slowly.

"Bella, I have to taste you." He said hungrily, and before I could say anything his mouth was on me, his lips pressed against my center.

"Edward!" I groaned. His tongue dove into my folds relentlessly. My head rocked back and forth uncontrollably as he continued to lap at me,

"You taste so sweet." He said, his voice sending vibrations through me to my core, I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming out. His hand massaged my thigh as he kept up his ministrations, his fingers began to play with my clit, all of that sent me soaring over the edge, I let out a scream as my orgasm rocked through me. I felt him licking me clean, making sure not to miss a single drop.

"Edward." I whimpered, my hands barely capable of releasing the sheets I had unknowingly grabbed onto.

Edward began to climb up my body, his hands undid my bra and he threw it onto the floor among our plethora of other clothes. His lips nipped gently at my breasts and I felt my body tingle and my core pulsate once again. He pressed a final kiss atop each of them before finally meeting my lips. I could taste a hint of myself on him, and the notion just sent me higher. He pulled away for a moment to position himself,

"Bella, I need you to know, that this is going to hurt, there is nothing I can do avoid that, though I wish there was." He said regretfully.

"I know, Edward." I said, leaning up and pressing a soft kiss to his lips, "It's okay, I'm ready." I assured him. He nodded and slid part of the way into me. His head flopped forward and I felt him twitch inside me. It felt really good as my body adjusted to him, he kept inching forward slowly until he was at my barrier. We both paused,

"Are you sure Bella?" He asked once again.

"Yes, Edward." I said and I took a deep breath as he pushed all the way into me. He let out a pleasure filled groan as a searing pain tore through my body, I fought hard to keep from crying out. I squeezed my eyes close to hide the tears, but I could tell Edward knew, even in the dark.

"Oh Bella, I'm so sorry," He said, his voice filled with guilt for hurting me.

"No, Edward, it's fine, but could you please, just don't move." I asked, still unable to open my eyes.

"Anything for you." He said. I waited for the pain to subside, he leaned forward, and rested his head on my forehead, waiting with me, despite the effort I knew it was causing him. We waited together until the pain had begun to dull. I opened my eyes and looked up at him.

"Edward, I think I'm ready." I said shakily. He nodded and began to move slowly, it hurt a little bit at first as he pulled in and out, but the more he did it, the less pain I felt. With each push I could feel the pleasure growing inside me.

"Edward, faster, please." I begged, his eyes met mine and he grinned before picking up the pace. Each thrust faster and harder than the first,

"Bella, you're so tight! You feel so," He was grasping for the word, his mind fogged, "Amazing." He finally finished. I moaned as his thrusts began to hit a spot inside me, it felt like nothing I had ever felt before,

"Oh God, Edward!" I screamed, he pulled out and thrust back in hitting the same spot over again. My body began to tremble under him, as he pushed into me again and again, until I couldn't hold out any longer. My body exploded, stars danced in front of my eyes as I was sent flying, it was like nothing I had ever felt before. Edward finished seconds later, spilling his seed into me as he called out my name. His head fell into the corner of my neck, his breath coming out as heavily as mine was, as he tried to hold himself somewhat off of me by balancing on his elbows. When we finally regained some composure, he lifted his head, pressing a soft kiss on my neck, before pulling back to look at me. His hand reached up and pushed the hair that was stuck to my forehead out of the way.

"Bella, that was, indescribable" He said softly, I smiled up at him,

"Yeah, I can't argue with you there." I said quietly, unable to raise my voice more than a whisper. He smiled, then pulled out of me slowly. We didn't stay apart for long, he quickly pulled me into his arms, so I was secure, my chest against his. He pressed a kiss to my forehead, and we laid in a comfortable silence, just listening to the sounds of the other breathing, and the noise from downstairs, just barely coming up through the silence.

It couldn't have been more than twenty minutes before there was pounding at Edward's door.

"Edward!" Emmett called through the closed door, I let out a groan, and buried my face deeper into Edward's chest.

"Edward, you in there?" Emmett yelled again, this time we heard his hand on the door.

"Emmett, you open that door and so help me God!" Edward threatened, "Now go away."

"I can't, Alice sent me up to get you for the you know what!" He said secretively. I looked up at Edward, who had let out a groan and was now pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Fine, just give me a minute." He called to Emmett.

"Just hurry up, I really don't need a hyper Alice up my ass right now." He said and I could hear the shudder in his voice.

Edward kissed my lips chastely before he released me and climbed out of bed, pulling on his boxers and pants.

"What's he talking about?" I asked, my voice sounding slightly groggy as I sat up in bed, pulling the comforter up to cover my chest.

"It's nothing, Love." He said with a smile as he searched the floor for his shirt. I spotted it next to my side of the bed, I picked it up and handed it to him.

"Thank you." He said, taking it from me and throwing it on. Once he was dressed he came back over to the bed, pressing a lingering kiss on my forehead.

"Come to think of it, you should probably get dressed too, much as I hate the notion of that." He said disappointedly. "I rather like the idea of you waiting for me naked in my bed." He said with a grin, I smiled back.

"I like that idea to, but you're right, I do have to get up." I said with a groan.

"Come on, I'll help you do up the laces." He said with a smile. I climbed out of bed and he proceeded to help me get dressed, albeit we were partially hindered when Edward refused to stay on task while dressing me, but the job was done eventually and we met up with Emmett at the staircase hand in hand. He took one look at the both of us,

"Oh my God." Was all he said,

"Emmett another word, and believe me, I would be more than willing to share with Rosalie what happened last fourth of July." Edward threatened menacingly, Emmett's face paled,

"You wouldn't." His eyes narrowed as he looked at Edward.

"Try me." Edward responded.

"Alright, that's enough boys, let's go." I said and I tried to push them both towards the stairs, neither budged, or even noticed what I was trying to do.

"Um, Bella what are you trying to do?" Emmett asked looking down at me, with a curious grin on his face.

"Honestly, I send one of you up here to get the other, and you both disappear! How am I supposed to run this-" Alice ranted as she stomped her way up the stairs, her voice cut off when she saw our predicament.

"What's going on?" She asked, looking at me, I opened my mouth to explain, but she let out an excited shriek before I could get any words out. She ran over and pulled me into a hug.

"Alice, what was that for?" I asked when she pulled back, looking up at me proudly. Edward and Emmett must have seen what was coming, because Emmett was shaking with laughter, and Edward had his face in his hands.

"You've got first post coital glow written all over you." At that, I'm pretty sure my entire face turned red.

"Alice!"

"What? You do, there's really no denying it! Oh I'm so excited." She turned and hugged her brother as well.

"Thanks, Alice." Edward said flatly.

"Wait till Rose and Jasper hear about this!" She said jumping up and down, I let out a groan, and Edward stepped in, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Alice, why don't you let Bella decide when everyone gets to find out?" He suggested darkly.

"Oh please, they'll be able to see it on her face a mile away anyway." She said with a wave of her hand.

"No wonder it took you so long." She said to Emmett. "Speaking of that, why aren't you to in the kitchen?" Her joy disappearing only to be replaced by ire. Edward and Emmet looked at each other hoping the other would come up with an excuse.

"I was losing my virginity?" Edward asked, hoping it might get him out of any trouble.

"And I was trying to get him?" Emmett supplied.

"Nice try." Alice said.

"Why do they need to be in the kitchen?" I asked suspiciously.

"Bella could you do me a favor?" She asked completely ignoring my question.

"Umm, sure?"

"Great! Would you go roam about for ten minutes, but don't go anywhere near the kitchen?" She asked. I nodded apprehensively.

"Alice, what's going on?" I asked curiously.

"You'll see, my little no longer a virgin." She teased, using her finger to bop my nose playfully before turning to the boys,

"And you two, Kitchen. Now." She threatened, and I finally understood Emmett's impatience to get back down to help Alice earlier, she could be much scarier then I had imagined. Emmett turned and made his way down the stairs, Edward kissed me on the lips then followed Emmett.

"Remember, ten minutes." Alice reminded me. I nodded and she went after the boys. I trailed slowly behind them, still feeling a bit sore. I smiled to myself as I remembered what had happened in Edward's room. I was so wrapped up in my mind I barely noticed I wasn't the only one on the stairs leading down to the first floor, I felt someone reach out and grab my arm, stopping me. I looked down to see who it was who had stopped me so rudely,

"Lauren, enough already!" I said when I noticed it was her, "I'm with Edward, now get over yourself and leave us be." I pleaded and pulled my arm out of her grasp, quite annoyed with her antics.

"Actually, Bella, I think you might want to hear what I have to say." She said, and I noticed her eyes were slightly red, from obvious crying, the remnants of tears stained her cheeks.

"There is nothing you could say that I would ever want to hear." I said forcefully and I turned to walk away, her voice stopped me.

"Bella, you wouldn't want dear Edward to lose everything he's worked so hard for, would you?" She asked innocently. Her words stopped me in my tracks and I turned around to face her.

"What are you talking about?" I asked cautiously, my strength faltering at her words.

"You and I need to talk, I have a proposition for you Bella, one I wouldn't advise you passing up, not for Edward's sake at least, well, the sake of his future." She said maliciously.

**Sooner update: 1,205 reviews (total)**

**Next update: June 11, 2009**


	49. Answer

**Hey everyone!!!!! okay, here's the ch u've been waiting for, I wont ramble, here it is!!**

**xoxo, DeViNeRoSe**

**I OWN NOTHING**

"Ok, so here's the deal Bella," Lauren began once she had me in Alice's room alone. Her controlling tone set my hands shaking as I contemplated the disastrous ideas capable of running through her mind.

"You love Edward, right?" She asked nonchalantly. Images of Edward and me ran through my mind as I nodded.

"Good, so it's safe to say you'd do anything for him?'' She asked rhetorically, as she crossed the room.

"Lauren, what do you want?" I asked slowly to keep my voice from shaking as I watched her flop onto the foot of Alice's bed, leaning back on her arms and looking up at me.

"What do I _want_? Bella you of all people should know, I want Edward. He should have been mine, he _was_ mine! I spent the entire year trying to get him back, then you just traipse in and within two weeks you've got him wrapped around your finger. It's not fair!" During her rant her emotions broke through her comfortable demeanor and by the end she was shouting. As soon as she finished she stopped and took a deep breath before looking up at me and continuing.

"I didn't come up here to give you my THS, the point is, all of that doesn't matter, because within a few days, Edward _will_ be mine." She said simply.

"He will, will he?" I asked doubtfully, but playing to her inner monster.

"Yep, because, and this is the best part," She paused for dramatic effect, "You're going to leave him." She said with a cruel grin that made my stomach churn so hard, I felt like I was going to be sick all of Alice's rug.

"Am I?" I asked her, trying to pull together the same sense of coolness I had earlier.

"Uh-hun, and willingly too." She said with a laugh before continuing, "As you well know, my dad is rather important at the hospital, seeing as he is one of the top donators, and is on the board. He is also one of the key members in deciding wether or not Edward keeps his internship once he completes his training." Her eyes narrowed at me as she got to the last part, the part that meant the most to me. The room had started spinning and I reached out a hand to grasp the back of Alice's desk chair in order to steady myself.

"Basically, if you don't dump Edward before you step foot on that plane back to, where ever it is you come from, Edward can kiss his internship goodbye." She said with a triumphant grin. I shook my head in disbelief, trying to find some loop hole.

"You're lying, Edward was already accepted, you're father can't do anything." I accused shakily, she just laughed and shook her head at me, as if I were an ignorant child.

"You wish, Bella. You obviously don't know how this works, let me explain, the recipient of this internship has to go through two weeks of training and shadowing before he is fully accepted, it's a complicated process to see if the person originally picked can handle it. In most cases, the person originally chosen get the internship in the ends, unless my father deems them unfit, for any reason he so chooses. Any reason, as in," She clasped her hands together and held them under her chin, and twisted her face into an expression of pain and sorrow,

"'Daddy, this boy really hurt me, I thought he loved me, but he was really just a careless teenage boy.'" She finished, dropping her facade and pushing herself off Alice's bed to make her way over to me. I stood my ground, despite my shaking knees, and blurring eyes.

"So, what's your answer Bella?" She asked, she was standing so close, but I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of showing her how scared I was.

"My answer? How about I go down stairs and inform Carlisle of your plan?" I asked, glaring down at her. Her face turned into one of mock fear,

"Oh no, I never thought of that, what am I going to do?" She asked pretending to bite her nails,

"I'm blond, but I'm not that stupid," She said dropping her charade.

"No, but you are you." I said spitefully, she snarled.

"Watch it Bella." She warned, "Now, feel free to tell anyone you want, but be aware that anyone you tell can't do anything about it, and if Carlisle goes and complains that my dad was just being bias, people are just going to think the same of him. That he will think of any excuse to keep his son in the program. Go ahead and tell, because if you do, I'll just tell my dad that Edward broke my heart and doesn't deserve this chance." After this I was surprised that my food stayed in my stomach, my mouth still refused to open so I could give her a final answer.

"Come on Bella, what's it going to be?" She asked when I didn't respond. My mouth still wouldn't move, my mind couldn't even think. Edward, she was asking me to give up Edward, _to her!_ My body was screaming at me to hit her, tell her to do her worst, but my mind was begging me to say yes, for Edward. Selfish as it was, I couldn't decided,

"Bella?" She asked drawing out my name. My mind snapped from the pressure.

"I need time!" I shouted at her. She jumped a little at my reaction, but swiftly composed herself.

"Wow, Bella," She began condescendingly, "I'm ashamed, I always thought you'd put Edward first. This internship practically guarantees him a spot at any school he could ever dream of going to, Ivy included, and you'd take that from him? Hmph, oh well, whatever you want, I'll give you until the end of the party to make the decision, or else." She said, then she walked out of the room.

The second the door clicked shut my knees collapsed and I fell to the ground sobbing. I clutched my chest as sobs wretched through my body, slowly tearing me apart, the internal battle going through my mind was enough to drive me mad. The only decision was obvious, but I didn't want to believe it, I didn't want to accept the fact that I would have to leave Edward. I shook my head, trying to find another way out, anyway out. But there wasn't one, there were no other options, no other choices left for me. The answer was simple.

I weakly pushed myself off the floor and slowly stumbled my way into the bathroom, I had to use the doorjamb to keep from falling again. I made it over to the sink, using it to hold myself up as I saw my reflection in the mirror. My eye's were a mess, red and blotchy, but they were empty too. Dead. That was the only way to describe what I saw in the mirror. I scolded myself, Edward needed me to be strong for him. I fumbled through Alice's drawers and somewhat fixed myself up, all except my eyes. The make up had been fixed, but the expression in them would be caught undoubtably by anyone who knew me. I straightened up and tried to smile, it looked awkward, but it was the best that could be done. By systematically placing one foot in front of the other, I made it to the stairs.

Jasper was waiting at the bottom, when he saw me coming down he smiled,

"Hey Bella." He said rather loudly, I looked at him puzzled, but he just grinned and winked, I continued to make my way all the way down the steps.

"You're in on it too, aren't you?" I asked, he laughed and nodded. Then he looped my arm under his and began to lead me into the dining room, which was now empty although the party was still going. I looked up at Jasper, even more confused than before, but once again he just smiled, then led me to the center table before taking a step back. There was a large sheet cake in the middle with vanilla frosting and red lettering that read,

_We'll Miss you Bella_

In an elegant cursive script, and under that, in not so elegant lettering, it said;

_AKA Lil' Sis_

I felt the tears well up all over again, and I was powerless to stop it, I didn't want to lose any of this, and there was nothing I could do. The tears rolled down my cheeks, as I realized what I would truly be giving up. Not just Edward, but my entire family, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, and Emmett, all of them.

"Emmett managed to getting a hold of some left over frosting, I'm sorry." I heard Alice say behind me. When I turned around, she was standing there with Jasper, next to Emmett who was holding Rosalie, and next to them Edward. Their faces fell when they saw my tears, I quickly tried to wipe them away.

"I'm sorry to fall apart like this," I apologized, realizing there were just to many to deal with, "Alice it's perfect, Emmett's touch was just right." Alice beamed up at me.

"Alright, I told you so." Emmett said proudly with a grin and nudging Alice in the shoulder. She ignored him and stepped forward to hug me.

"Group hug!" Emmett called out, then squashed all of us in for a big group hug. I let out a laugh as I was surrounded by everyone I loved, even Rosalie joined in.

"Thank you guys, thank you so much." I said to all of them when we pulled apart.

"It would have been so much better, but Edward insisted that I give you a break just his once, and do something not so big." She groaned, I looked up to thank Edward, but was distracted by what I saw over his shoulder. Lauren was staring at me from across the room, she raised an eyebrow, I knew what she was asking, I nodded decisively, she grinned and disappeared into the crowd. That was it, it was all over. I fought to keep my balance,

"Bella, hey, you okay?" Emmett asked as my eyes filled with fresh tears. I nodded.

"Just going to miss you guys." I lied. Edward came up and took my face in his hands.

"Oh, Bella, I love you so much." Edward said with a smile and a laugh, "Don't worry, nothing is going to happen to us." He assured me, assuming my tears were from the idea of going home. If only he knew. His words made the tears fall harder, and I buried my face in his shirt.

"I know, I guess, I'm, uh, I'm just tired." I said, trying to find some reason behind my behavior.

"I'm going to get her up to bed," I heard him tell everyone over my head. I pulled away,

"No, no, I'll be fine." I said, "Now, let's eat some cake." I said trying to be excited, when inside, I was dying.

**REVIEW!!!!! Please.**

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**Next Update: June 16, 2009**


	50. Broken

**Hey everyone! Holy shit, y'alls is the best, I was gunna update earlier but I couldn't between graduation, prom, and friend crises, I couldn't I''m so sry, cuz y'alls really kicked ass on this one!!!! SO instead as an apology present for you, I'm posting TWO chs in one!! anyway I hope you like it, I love you all for the reviews, so thank you! PS This one is for CullenCovenMember, I know what I said, and I'm super sorry, so this ones dedicated to you!**

**xoxo, DevineRose**

**I own nothing**

The extravagant cake did nothing to settle my emotions, instead became more of a problem when it threatened to come back up every time I bumped into Lauren, thereby reminding me of my devastating task. Edward asked multiple times if something was wrong, every time I responded with, 'nothing', just shrugging him off. The party quickly came to an end, with a medley of goodbyes and well wishes from a couple of people I had met earlier in the summer. Lauren was one of the last people to leave, she even came up to me to say goodbye. Keeping with her facade she pulled me into a hug, saying she hoped there were no hard feelings, and that she just wanted to part on good terms. Her insincerity made me sick and when she pulled me into a hug I whispered into her ear,

"No matter what, you'll never have him."

"Yeah, well now, neither will you." She sniped back cruelly. I said nothing and just let her walk out.

"What was all that about?" Edward asked as he came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and nuzzling my neck.

"Nothing." I said, smiling at him, his eyes lifting to meet mine.

"You sure?" He asked, "You seem pretty shaken up." He commented, nipping at the skin.

"I already told you Edward, I'm just-" I tried to explain with a smile, he shook his head and spun me around, pulling me close to him, my stomach tingled uncontrollably.

"Tired? Bella, I'm not an idiot. What's wrong?" He asked sincerely, brushing back a piece of hair that had fallen out sometime that night.

"Have you ever had to make a decision, that you knew would hurt you, but it was what was best for someone else?" I asked.

"What? Bella, what are you talking about?" He asked with a smile and furrowed brow.

"Nothing. It's nothing." I reached up a hand to cup his cheek, trying my hardest to memorize his face before I had to lose it. His eyes met mine, filled with confusion as I reached up and kissed him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he pulled me as close as humanly possible, not letting an inch of air between us. I felt all of our love we had for each other in that kiss. Our tongues intertwining as the noise around us disappeared. All of our problems seemed to slip away from us as we clung to each other. Too quickly it came to the end.

"Bella." He whispered softly as he pulled away. "What-" He began, but was cut short by Emmett who came up, clapping Edward on the back, but Edward never tore his questioning eyes from mine.

"Working on sexytime number two?" He asked, one hand on each of our shoulders.

"Emmett, could you give us a sec?" Edward asked, not looking away from me.

"Nope, on any other occasion, I would say yes, especially the way you two are google-ly eyes-ing each other, but Jasper and I have a little something for our Bell here now that everyone's gone." He said, trying to pull us out to the back porch, but Edward wouldn't let him.

"Em, please? I'll bring her out in two seconds." Edward asked, borderline begging.

"Edward, it's fine, we can talk later."

"Bella-" He tried to argue, but Emmett stopped him,

"Edward, this is for Bella, so suck it up and let's rock." Emmett said with a laugh as he pushed me into the back yard, Edward followed reluctantly. There was a long table that had been covered with drinks and finger food earlier, but now the only things on it were two microphones. Alice, Rosalie, and Jasper were already out there,

"Okay, so before we pack it in," Emmett announced climbing up onto the table,

"Jasper and I have our own little going away present for Bella. Gather round." Emmett said to us. We all clustered around the front of the table.

"You ready Bella?" He asked as Jasper climbed up on the table to join him. I nodded apprehensively.

"Mind you, neither of us has singing experience, however I think we did a pretty good job. Ready?" He asked turning to Jasper who nodded. They both looked to Alice, who pressed play on a radio, a familiar tune began to play out of the speakers. Jasper and Emmett both began to sway up on the table.

"Listen Baby!" Jasper began singing to me. I buried my face out of embarrassment as I laughed,

"Ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough baby." It was choreographed perfectly, on the high, Jasper raised his arms in the air, on the low, Emmett ducked down, and when he sang wide enough, the two slid apart hands in the air. Emmett sang next,

"If you need us call us, no matter where you are, no matter how far," For this, he used his hand to fake a phone, while Jasper raised his hands and looked around in confusion before using one hand, lifting it up to his eyebrows as if shielding his eyes from the sun as he looked off into the distance.

"Just call our names, we'll be there in a hurry, you don't have to worry." Jasper cupped his hands around his mouth and pretended to call out. Then ran to the other side of Emmett before he pretended to wipe sweat from his brow in relief. They both came in to sing the next part.

"Cause baby there ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough to keep us from gettin' to you baby." They did the same moves as before as we all laughed and cheered them on.

"Remember the day he set you free, we told you, you could always count on us girl, and from that day on, we made a vow, we'll be there when you want us, someway, somehow." Jasper sang while Emmett flapped his hands as if he were a bird being set free, then he pointed at me, before pointing back at himself for the, 'you could always count on us' bit. Then he pretended to pray, before they both broke out into the chorus,

"Cause baby there ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough to keep us from gettin' to you baby."

"Oh no darling, no wind." Jasper sang, Emmett waved his arms around like wind before singing,

"No rain, no winters cold, can stop us baby." Jasper did the make it rain gesture before wrapping his arms around him and shivering, then he held his hand out to us, "stopping us".

"No, no baby 'cause you are his love, you ever in trouble, we'll be there on the double, just send for us, oh baby." They sang together.

"Our love is alive, way down in our hearts, although we are miles apart. If you ever need a helping hand, we'll be there on the double, just as fast as we can." They each gestured to their hearts before sliding apart and then running back together quickly.

"Our love is alive way down in our hearts although we'll be miles apart, and if you'll ever need a helping hand we'll be there on the double just as fast as we can." They then repeated the chorus once more before finishing with their hands in the air. As soon as they were done we burst into cheers and both boys bowed in thanks. Jasper jumped off the table and Emmett made to follow him but as he did, the tip of his foot got caught on the tablecloth. He fell forward in slow motion, we watched him fall face first and there was nothing we could do to stop it. His hands shot out to brace his fall and there was a sickening snap as he landed, followed by a wail of pain.

All of us rushed forward to Emmett's side as he rolled onto his back, clutching his arm in agony. Jasper and Edward propped him up so he was sitting upright with his back against the side of the house. His teeth were clenched and he was lightly banged his head into the wall as a distraction. Rosalie rushed to his side, kneeling next to him and comfortingly brushing his hair back with her hand as he groaned. I knelt down on his other side while Alice ran inside. Jasper and Edward rushed over as well, Edward looking for Emmett's injury.

"Holy mother fucking shit on a _fucking_ alter, oww." He moaned, and we all saw his left wrist. His hand was no longer in line with his arm, it looked as if it wasn't attached. His hand was below his arm, like a step. Edward gingerly took Emmett's injured hand in his, pulling Emmett's finger so they were flat.

"Emmett, can you bend your fingers?" Edward asked slowly.

"I'm hurt Edward, not special, and yeah I can move them, but barely." Emmett demonstrated, but all he could really do was make them twitch.

"Ahh, shit!" He breathed. Edward examined his hand before turning to Rosalie,

"Rose, go get a plastic bag filled with ice and hand towel." Rosalie nodded and went into the kitchen, at the same time, Alice came back out carrying a glass of water in one hand and something in her other fist.

"Okay, I called Esme and Carlisle, they're going to meet us down at the hospital. Here." She said opening her closed hand, inside were three Aspirin.

"God, I've never been so happy to see you as I am now." Emmett laughed weakly, Alice smiled and dropped the pills into his mouth. She brought the glass up to his mouth and he took a few deep gulps.

"Alright, I think it's safe to say that at the very least, it's fractured." Edward told Emmett,

"But, by the looks of it, I really think it might be broken. I mean, _you_ landed on your wrist." He finished with a laugh.

"Shut up, if my wrist wasn't hurt, I'd pummel you right now." Emmett said with a smile and a shaky laugh as he leaned back and closed his eyes, taking deep long quivering breaths. His forehead was glistening with sweat as Rosalie came back in with the ice and towel. She handed everything to Edward, who lifted up Emmett's hand and put the towel beneath it. He rested Emmett's hand on top of it, then put the ice carefully on top of his hand. Emmett let out a groan and a hiss,

"And here I thought I was clumsy." I joked with him as a means for distraction, he laughed through his wince. Edward then wrapped the rest of the towel around the injury,

"All right, that should keep it stable, now it's time to get to the hospital." He said standing up, "Jasper and Alice, why don't you guys take one car, Bella, Rose, and I will take Emmett." Everyone agreed,

"Jasper, want to give me hand with him?" Edward asked referring to Emmett who was still seated on the floor. Jasper nodded and the two of them managed to get Emmett to his feet. I went in front of them, and opened all of the doors to make it easier for them to get Emmett out of the house while Alice and Rosalie went around turning off the lights and closing up the house. Once Jasper and Edward got Emmett into the car, Rosalie climbed into the back seat with him. I jumped into the front, while Edward got in to the driver's seat. In a matter of moments we were racing out of the drive way. I turned around to see Alice and Jasper not too far behind in Alice's Porsche keeping up with Edward near reckless driving. We made to the hospital in record time, Edward just pulled in right up front and he and Rosalie got Emmett out of the car while I ran inside to inform the nurse at the desk that Emmett was coming in with a severely broken wrist. She nodded and told the nurse next to her to get a wheel chair, she did and rolled it out to the door where Emmett was being dragged in. He was plopped into the wheelchair and the nurse wheeled him into an exam room.

"I'm sorry, but your only allowed to have two people in the room with the patient." She informed us once Emmett was settled onto the exam table. I nodded,

"I'll go wait in the lobby for Alice and Jasper." I said, then gave Edward a kiss and Emmett a pat on the back before exiting the room. Alice and Jasper were already situated in the waiting room when I came out.

"So, how is he?" Alice asked over the top of a magazine she had pulled from a bag she had brought.

"Fine, they just got him in the exam room and the doctor's going to be in there soon." I said plopping down in the empty chair next to her. She set down her magazine and went into her bag,

"Here, I brought these for us." She said pulling out two pairs of sweats and two t-shirts. I thanked her and we went into the bathroom off of the waiting room to change.

"Thanks again, Alice." I said once I had gotten the sweats on.

"No problem, I figured you wouldn't want to be in that dress while we're here. Leave it to Emmett to force us all to the hospital at twelve in the morning." She said with a laugh.

"Aren't you worried?" I asked as I changed in my stall. Though I had broken my share of bones in the past, and knew it was no big deal, I couldn't help worrying about Emmett. I heard Alice chuckle a little at my question.

"No, not at all, Emmett's Emmett. He'll be fine. One time when we were kids, we were playing out in the woods behind our house, pretending to be explorers. We found this old tree house built up in one of the trees. I was too scared to go up, and Edward said we shouldn't because it wasn't safe, nevertheless Emmett climbed twenty feet up into the tree. As soon as he went inside we heard the wood start to crack, and Emmett fell through the floor boards. He fell right through to the ground, he broke one leg in two places, the other at the ankle and he was completely covered in blood and dirt." We both exited our stalls at the same time and she continued her story,

"The doctors had told Carlisle and Esme that he'd be lucky if he walked with a limp, but after months of physical therapy and years of perseverance he ended up walking fine, and now he's our school's star football player, so, no, I'm not worried about a simple broken wrist. And you shouldn't be either, okay? You've been beating yourself up all night." She said, wrapping a comforting arm around my shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm sorry, it's just between Emmett, me leaving, Lauren, a severe lack-"

"Lauren? What's she done now?" Alice asked surprised. There was my opening to tell Alice, tell her what was happening.

"Nothing, she, uh, just tried to be all buddy, buddy after the party, it was just really annoying." I lied, Alice nodded,

"Look on the bright side Bella, at least now you'll never have to deal with her again." She said with a smile as we exited the bathroom. I faked a laugh,

"Good point, I knew there was an upside to this whole thing."

At that point Esme and Carlisle walked in, he went straight into the exam room after a polite wave to us, and Esme came over.

"What happened?" She asked us.

"He fell off a table." Alice said simply.

"Care to elaborate on how my son broke his wrist falling off this table?" Esme asked as if she had to ask this type of question frequently.

"Emmett and I climbed up on a table to sing our song for Bella, but when we got down, he tripped and fell on his wrist." Jasper explained, Esme winced.

"Oh no. What room did they bring him to?" She asked looking around.

"Room 6." I answered, then pointed it out for her.

"Thank you, honey," She said to me, then placed a kiss on Alice's forehead, "I'll be back in a little while, don't wander off." She said with a smile before giving me a kiss as well and heading off to see Emmett.

I let out a deep yawn and tried to find a comfortable position in the hard waiting room chair. Eventually I fell asleep, only to be shaken awake,

"Bella?" Alice called.

"Hmm?" I hummed groggily opening my eyes and looking around at the empty waiting room,

"Hey, Edwards going to have to stay with Emmett for a little while longer." She informed me.

"Is Emmett going to be okay?" I asked, my voice clouded with sleep.

"Yeah, but Edward has to follow him, just something for his job, Jasper and I are going to head home, do you want to go with us or wait for him?" She asked.

"How long is he going to be?" I asked rubbing my eyes and looking up at the clock on the wall, it was already 3 in the morning.

"I don't know, maybe an hour, they've done already done the x-rays and the resetting, they just have to put it in a cast." She said.

"I'll wait for him." I told her.

"Alright, why don't you go in the room then, Carlisle talked to the nurses for you so they understand." She told me, I nodded and let her help me up. Once I was upright, I stretched and said goodbye before heading off to Emmett's room. When I went inside Emmett and Rosalie were curled up on the bed together, fast asleep, Emmett's broken arm laying untouched next to them. There was an IV being fed through his arm, I shuddered a bit at the sight of it. I made my way over to an arm chair that was in the corner, it looked much more inviting than the ones in the waiting room. I plopped down and went to get some more sleep.

When I woke up in Edward's room the next morning, with him in the bed sound asleep next to me, I vaguely remembered someone coming in and picking me up after I had fallen asleep in Emmett's room. I looked around and the room was in the same state we had left it in with rose petals strewn all over the floor. I turned to look at Edward, he was lying there so peacefully. I wanted to wake up like this every morning for the rest of my life but in two short days, I would be gone, no matter what. Even if I didn't listen to Lauren, I would still be on the other side of the country, a constant distraction for Edward. Just like James said, I would suck the life out of him if we were to stay together, and on top of that Edward would lose his internship.

Either way, I was bad for Edward, I had no choice, there was no possible way for me to stay.

"Morning." Edward said looking up at me. While my mind ran through its internal debate I hadn't even noticed him wake up.

"Morning.'' I replied, but I couldn't bring myself to return his smile. His face fell,

"Bella, what's-"

"I'm going to take a shower." I said hurriedly, shooting out of the bed and into the bathroom before he could stop me. I turned the water on and waited for it to get hot before stripping down and getting in. I washed up and rinsed off, but I didn't get out. I felt tears mix in with the shower water on my face,

"Bella." Edward called, I jumped a little and rushed to brush the tears off my face, only to discover I didn't really have to.

"Yeah." I answered, my voice breaking a little.

"Alice wants you to know, were going to the beach, after you get out." He informed me.

"Alright, I'll be out in a second." I heard the door shut and a few minutes later I turned off the water and got out.

When I exited the bathroom, I noticed Edward sitting on the couch, his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands.

"Edward?" I asked he didn't answer, I wanted to go over to him, but I knew I needed to start distancing myself from him so I went straight to my over night bag, as I was rummaging through it for a bathing suit, he spoke,

"Bella, have-have I done something wrong?" He asked quietly, when I turned around to look at him, he seemed sad and guilty. My heart broke at his expression and I swallowed back tears, I got up and walked over to him, kneeling down to his eye level, he looked up at me,

"No, Edward, you could never do something wrong, ever, please believe that." I said sincerely, and I meant it,

"It's just me, somethings off, but it is _not_ your fault, okay?" He nodded. This wasn't his fault in any way, he pulled me into a hug.

"I'll let you get dressed." He said, I smiled up at him as best I could as he left the room.

Once I had my clothes on I met everyone down stairs and we piled into separate cars, but not before Emmett had the chance to show off his brand new hot pink cast. When we got to the beach, it was just like my first day here, Alice laid out the blanket and we talked and laughed for a while before Jasper suggested we play a game of touch football, a way to close out the summer.

"Dude, that's not fair, you know I can't play!" Emmett complained, holding up his cast.

"Not my fault you tripped on a tablecloth," Jasper teased picking up the football while Emmett fumed,

"Ah, I'm just playing, how about this, the second you get better, we can all come back down to the beach for old times sake, alright?" Jasper suggested, Emmett agreed grudgingly.

"Hey, what if I sit out with you?" I asked with a smile, before moving to sit next to him, punching him lightly in the shoulder. He agreed and the remaining players split themselves into two teams, Rosalie and Jasper versus Edward and Alice. They ran out a little ways and Emmett and I watched them mark off the boundaries for the end zones before they began playing.

The more I watched them, the more it hurt, I fought back another onslaught of tears as I watched Edward, laughing as he ran from Jasper, just out of reach. He seemed so happy as he spun Alice around in post touchdown bliss. Emmett broke through my revery to ask question I didn't expect. His voice was devoid of all his normal jolliness, instead it was melancholic and downhearted, and the way he asked, I had a feeling he already knew the answer.

"You're leaving, aren't you?"

**I was gunna split it where Emmett fell off the table but I felt so bad for leaving the update this long I made it longer as an apology, I hope you can accept! I'm really really really really really realy really sorry guys!**

**Sooner Update: 1,282 reviews (total)**

**Next Update: June 23, 2009**

**Sorry again, please dont stop reading!!**


	51. Choices

**Hey everyone! so some of you guys asked for a EPOV on the final chs, but here's the thing, I think it wouldn't really fit with where the story is and where it's going, so here's what I'm gunna do, I'm gunna post it separately IF YOU REALLY WANT IT, sometime in the near future, k?? ALSO I know this ch short, but believe me when I say, it pack a punch! It's a bit of a tough ch, ok, so bear with me and get through it alright?**

**xoxo, devinerose**

**I Own nothing.**

"Wha-What are you talking about?" I stammered.

"Bella," He said sternly, "Ever since you had words with James that night you've been off, it doesn't take much to put two and two together." He explained.

"Emmett I-"

"Don't do it Bella. You're not helping anyone by leaving, trust me." He said turning to me, trying in vain to convince me I was wrong.

"What choice do I have?" I asked hopelessly.

"Stay and make it work." He said bluntly.

"It's not that simple Emmett," If only he knew, "Between Edward coming home every other weekend with jet lag, working late, school, and a whole mess of other things, Emmett, he just can't handle it. I know, I know, Edward can do anything, but not this, no one can do this. It would just be better if I took myself out of the equation altogether."

"No, it wouldn't Bella, what you two have is more than just a summer romance, you two love each other the way I love Rose, or Alice loves Jasper. Bella, do you honestly think Edward is going to be able to focus with a broken heart. If you leave Bella it will destroy him, it'll destroy the both of you, don't-"

"Stop it." I whispered forcefully, he stopped talking. His words were cutting me from the inside out. Everything he was saying was true, but it changed nothing, Lauren was still the one holding all the power.

"Look Bella, I just need you to make the right choice here, okay?" He asked hopefully, I nodded, he didn't have to know the right choice wasn't the one he had in mind.

"So no more tears." He said softly, leaning over to brush away an escaped tear I hadn't even noticed before wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his side.

"It'll be alright kiddo, it'll be alright." He said comfortingly as a cool wind whipped through my hair. Edward jogged over then to grab some water,

"Trying to put the moves on my girl? Rose would be so disappointed." He teased.

"Bella wouldn't." Emmett joked back.

"Oh yeah?" Edward asked as he pulled Emmett into a choke hold and giving him a noogie,

"Uncle! Uncle!" Emmett laughed.

"That's what I thought." Edward laughed as he released Emmett to continue looking for the water in the basket Alice had brought. He pulled out a bottle and opened it, taking a long sip.

"What's the score?" I asked as Edward recapped his bottle.

"14-7, us." He answered proudly.

"Yeah, only because," Emmett began, "Blondie's too slow to keep up!" He shouted this in Jasper's direction. Jasper responded by flipping Emmett off, I saw Alice roll her eyes and Rosalie laugh.

"Anyway, I'd better get back." Edward said, putting the bottle back in the basket.

"What are you playing to?" Emmett asked.

"Just 21, we're all getting kind of hungry." Edward said, then leaned down to kiss my forehead before running out to the playing field.

Emmett and I watched in amiable silence until the game ended with Jasper scoring the winning touch down. They made their way back to the blanket and Alice began passing out the sandwiches she had packed for our lunch. As she did, Jasper began to give Emmett and me a blow by blow account of his win, until Emmett cut him off.

"Hey, we don't need the play by play you moob, we watched it." He told Jasper as he stared at his sandwich trying to figure out how to hold it one handed.

"I'm sorry, but did you just call me a-a _'moob_'?" Jasper asked confused.

"Yep." Emmett answered triumphantly as he had figured out how to hold his sandwich so the stuffing wouldn't come out the other end when he bit into it.

"_What is that_?_"_ Jasper asked puzzled, and slightly disgusted. We all laughed at his question.

"Oh Jasper, I love your southern innocence." Alice said with a laugh, getting up to sit in his lap as she placed a loving kiss on his cheek.

"No seriously." Jasper said looking around at us, "What's it mean?" He asked like a five year old being left out of the grown up conversation, this only made us laugh harder.

"We're-we're not laughing at you, Jas, just at-at the situation." Rosalie said through her laughter, trying to comfort him, it wasn't working.

"Sure you are." He said rolling his eyes. We finally stopped laughing enough for Emmett to explain to Jasper what a "moob" was. Once he did, Jasper responded with an audible, 'Oh', causing us all to fall into fits of laughter once again.

"Ahh shut up." Jasper said trying to fight back a laugh of his own. Lunch continued on like this for another hour, then we spent the rest of the time gathered around on the blanket talking, about everything and anything. It wasn't long before the sun began to go down behind the houses.

"I'd better get home, I don't want to be late. Charlie wants to do a final dinner tonight." I said getting up and stretching, Edward following suit.

"Tonight?" Alice asked in confusion, "I thought you still had three more days."

"I am, but he's going to be away on his last sponsored fishing trip for the next two days." I explained.

"Oh." Alice said understandingly.

"Yeah, so I'd better get home and get started."

"Alright." Alice said, they all stood up and gave me hugs goodbye, and Edward and I went to the car to get my bag. Afterwards he walked me home, but neither of us said anything until we got to the front porch,

"Edward, it's going to be a late night with Charlie and I, he said he wanted to make sort of a big deal out of it, so don't worry about coming over." I told him, it was a lie, Charlie just wanted to do dinner. I didn't want him over because I had already begun the painful process of detaching myself from him. It hurt like hell, and made it hard to stand, but I didn't let it show.

"Oh, um, Okay. Are you coming over tomorrow?" He asked, I nodded. I couldn't open my mouth to answer him, because a sob would be the only thing to come out, tomorrow would not be the day he was expecting.

When he kissed me goodnight, I tried to make it as empty as possible, I tried not to feel anything. When we pulled apart Edward stared at me, and I could see the hint of fear in his eyes. I wanted so badly to pull him back into my arms and kiss him, really kiss him, but I didn't as the image of Lauren popped into my mind.

"Goodnight Bella." He said quietly.

"Goodnight Edward." I said, turning to open the door. Before I could step inside, Edward's voice stopped me.

"I love you." He said simply, my knees buckled underneath me and I had to close my eyes to keep the tears of pain away. I took a deep breath and opened them to respond.

"I know." I said before stepping inside and closing the door behind me.

____________________________________________________

When I woke up that morning I knew that it was _the_ morning. My hands shook as I tried to dress myself, and my breaths came in shallow gasps. My heart was barely functioning, and the only thing working properly was my head. It was pushing me on, telling me to suck it up and deal for Edward's sake. I had to be strong and make him believe that us breaking up was what needed to be done. Once I was somewhat mentally ready I got in the car and drove to Edward's house for the last time.

Emmett opened the door after I rang the doorbell, he was laughing about something, but abruptly stopped when he saw my expression. He stepped aside slowly to let me in,

"He's in his room." He said solemnly, I began to make my way up the stairs. "Bella, don't do this." He pleaded, I stopped and turned back to look at him. I ran back down the stairs and hugged him. He was surprised at first, but then he hugged me back.

"I'm sorry, Em, but I have to, I know what you said, and you're wrong. I'm so sorry." I said letting him go and tuning back to the stairs, he didn't stop me again. I made my way up to Edward's room and knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" I heard Edward call from the other side. I wanted to turn on my heel and run, but my knees were shaking too much. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing would come out.

"Hello?" Edward called out again.

"It's Bella." I finally got out. I heard footsteps on the other side of the door, I took a deep breath and tried to make myself seem as expressionless as possible. The door swung open and Edward pulled me in, shutting the door behind me, pressing me against it. He leaned in to kiss me, but I turned my head, if he kissed me, I knew I would never be able to do what I had to. When I looked back at him his eyes were filled with hurt and confusion.

"Bella, what's wrong?" He asked.

"Edward, we need to talk." I said blankly, he recoiled slightly.

"About what exactly?" He asked apprehensively.

"Us." I whispered.

"Okay, so talk."

"I think when I leave, I should _leave_." My heart screamed in pain, it hurt so much I had to hold back a gasp.

"How do you mean?" He asked with furrowed brow, he understood, he just didn't want to. My next words made my stomach roll with nausea.

"I think-I think, we should stop seeing each other." I whispered weakly as I stared at his shoulder unable to look him in the eyes.

"W-why?" He asked

"You're starting your internship and school, you don't need me as a distraction Edward, we need to see this as it is, okay?" I couldn't tell him the truth and it killed me.

"No, it's not ok. Bella, where is all of this coming from?" He asked angrily,

"I've been thinking about it for a while. I-I think it's for the better." My words all sounded weak and reasonless,

"For the-, for the better?" He asked as if I were psychotic, "Bella, what the hell are you talking about?" His temper was rising as was his confusion.

"I-I," I was stalling for words, more excuses that would make some kind of sense, but there were none left, except the most harsh and severe of all, the one I never wanted to have to say. As I stumbled for words, he turned his back on me and headed towards his dresser. He rummaged through the top drawer with his back towards me, he pulled something out that I couldn't see, then shut the drawer.

"I was going to do this at the airport, but I have a feeling if I don't it now, I'll never have the chance." He said with his back to me as he spoke. Finally he turned around and made his way over to me, holding whatever he had dug out of the dresser behind his back in one hand. He took my left hand in the other, then got down on one knee in front of me. I stopped breathing altogether,

"Edward don't, please." I begged as tears slipped down my face, but he ignored them.

"Isabella Marie Swan, I don't know what's come over you these past few days, and I don't know what could drive you to think I would be better off without you. What I _do_ know is that I love you more than anything in this world, I know I would give up everything if it meant I could spend the rest of my life with you. I understand we're young, but I don't care, will you marry me?"

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	52. Protectors

**Hey everyone!! Thanks for the reviews!!! like holy shit you make me wanna cry!**

**Heads up POV change in this one, maybe out of place for you, but I felt it was best!**

**xoxo, devinerose**

**I own nothing!**

"W-What? I-I, Edward-" I stammered, the room had begun to spin from the lack of oxygen intake.

"Don't-don't do this." I begged once again, his face fell.

"Bella, if you're worried about my internship, and my attentiveness to it, don't be." He said, trying to placate me,

"If it means you'll stay, I'll give it up, all of it, I don't need it. Bella, all you have to do is say yes, you and I both know you want to. I love you more than anything in this world. When you love someone like this, you'll do anything for that person, you'll give up anything." He had no idea how his words were just affirming my previous decision.

"So, what do you say?" He asked hopefully. I couldn't answer, I could barely even breath. Tears had begun to stream down my face, it was beyond my control.

"I-I can't." I said and I pushed past him to stand in the middle of the room with my back to him.

"You _can't_?" He asked, and I could hear his heart breaking in his voice. I wanted to stop, I wanted so badly to stop, but I was thinking about what Edward _needed_, not what I wanted, no matter how much it was killing me to do so.

"I don't, I don't w-want to." I lied, my voice shaking.

"No, look at me and say you don't _want_ to." He said, I turned around slowly, wiping the tears from my face. As I did gathering as much strength as I could to do what I had to.

"Bella, I can see it in your eyes, you want to," He said taking my face in his hands, trying to make me see.

"No." I said strongly.

"Why not Bella? I love you, and I _know_ you love me. All of your excuses are half ass and you now it. I-" I began shaking my head and he trailed off,

"'No' what?"

"You're wrong." Oh God, oh God I didn't want to do this, not like this, but he was leaving me no choice. It was at that moment that I realized the true severity of what was going to have to be done, I felt sick to my stomach, like everything was just going to come right back up and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

"About what?" He asked confused.

"I didn't want to have to say this Edward, but, I-I don't love you." My heart was screaming in pain as it tore into two jagged pieces inside me as I watched Edward's face. It contorted into a mask of pain as he dropped his hands from my face, I swallowed back more tears.

"That's a lie." He said softly like he didn't believe me himself.

"No, you just want it to be."

"Bella, this doesn't make any sense. I don't believe that you don't love me." He said adamantly, I knew he was right, but I had to prove him wrong. I closed my eyes and made them as dead and emotionless as possible. When I opened them, he took a step back, shaking his head, but I couldn't stop there, I had to finish what I started,

"I don't. Edward, what we had, it was a summer fling, that's all." I lied,

"You know, you're a good liar Bella."

"When will you get it Edward, I'm not lying!" I near shouted, he laughed humorlessly.

"I wasn't talking about right now." He said coldly. I felt like I was going to be sick as I felt my body go numb. He believed me, it was what I had wanted, now, I wanted to scream in pain. The way he looked at me, I wanted to go die in a hole, he looked at me like I was pond scum on the bottom of his shoe. The hate and betrayal built up in his eyes made me internally curse Lauren to hell. This was never what I wanted, I didn't want to lie to him, I didn't want him to hate me, I just wanted him to let me go, but there was nothing left that I could do.

"I'm so sorry, if I hurt you, because that was never my intention, and I'm sorry I've let it go on this long. But it's time to get back to the real world, summers over." I said cruelly. I made to leave then, I wouldn't be able to hold it together much longer. As I reached out for the door, I felt Edward grab my wrist and spin me around to face him. He pulled me into him, and I felt his eyes bore holes into mine as he searched them, searched them for something I forced not to be there. His lips were just inches from mine, and we both noticed that at the same time as we each glanced down at the other's lips before letting our eyes meet once again. He leaned into me,

"No, Edward." I whispered half heartedly, but he didn't stop, his eyes were on mine as he leaned in closer.

"No, Edward." I repeated more forcefully, still he didn't listen, his lips were nearly touching mine when I pulled my hand back and slapped him clean across the face.

A resounding crack reverberated throughout the room as he let me go, and the two of us froze staring at each other,

"Oh my, Edward, I-I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean, you wouldn't- I tried-" He held up a hand, stopping my apologetic rambling.

"I'm the one that's sorry Bella, I should've stopped, I just thought maybe-never mind." He wasn't angry or mad, he was just sad, and dejected, which was so much worse.

"Edward-"

"Look, maybe you should go, it's what you want after all." He said sadly, not even bothering to look at me.

I turned to go but I stopped with my hand on the door,

"I know this is wrong for me to even begin to ask this of you, but can you promise me one thing?" I turned around to face him, his eyes didn't change but he nodded, even after everything I had done to him, he still nodded.

"Promise me you'll move on," At this I had to take a deep breath, only I couldn't, not really, it hurt too much, breathing.

"One day, you'll find someone that really cares for you. It's just that, that person's not me." My inside screamed at me to tell the truth, but my head told me otherwise and I choked back the words I longed to say. He nodded his consent.

"I'm sorry things turned out this way Edward, I really am." I said, moving towards him, I made to reach out and cup his cheek, but he turned away from me. I stopped and let my hand fall,

"Goodbye Edward." I said softly, I reached up and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. I felt him reach out and squeeze my fingers in his one last time, before both of us let go. At this I was trying to hold in the tears, _just make it to the car,_ I kept telling myself. I turned and walked out, this time he didn't stop me and I shut his door behind me. I began my descent down the stairs, I made it to the hallway when I heard a loud crash from upstairs, I froze in my tracks, closing my eyes to fight back the onslaught of tears, the entire family came out into the hallway to figure out the source of the noise, I opened my eyes. They all stopped when they saw me. My eyes locked with Alice's, I could see the shock in her eyes, Esme looked sad, and Rosalie looked furious. I looked to Emmett, he had a sad look on his face as well, but he nodded at me.

"I'm sorry." I managed to get out before I pushed past them and out the door. I got in my car and my hands were shaking so bad I could barely turn the key in the ignition. I made it halfway home before I had to pull over. I took out my phone and texted 'it's done', to the number Lauren had left for me. Once it said 'message sent', I couldn't help it, I screamed, as loud as I could. Then I just crumpled uncontrollably onto the seat and cried, cried for everything, my broken heart, and his, and lastly, my empty, Edward-less future. I sat there for hours, even after the tears dried up. When the sun started to set I realized I had to get home, the house was empty as I went straight to my room. I stared out the window at the beach where we had all met those three months ago. I then sank to the floor and clutched my legs to my chest. I didn't move for fear that if I did, I would crumble. The night quickly passed and I never looked away from the window.

_______________________________________________________

**RPOV**

"How's he doing?" I asked Alice through the phone. When I had left the other day he was barely moving, the only thing he had managed to get out when Alice asked what happened was 'she left'. When Alice asked why he just said, 'Doesn't love me.'

"Not good, he hasn't spoken once yet, aside from yesterday. I just don't get it Rose, they were in love, real honest to God love, and then she just leaves? It doesn't make any sense, even I couldn't tell this was coming. He- Oh hold on." She said, I heard someone on the other line coming down the stairs.

"How is he?" I heard Alice's muffled voice.

"Dead, or close to it." The other person said, it sounded like Esme, but I couldn't really tell.

"You're father's considering calling one of his friends to come take a look." It was definitely Esme.

"Hold on, Mom." I heard Alice say, "Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"This is bad, I gotta go."

"Alright, give Edward my love." I said supportingly.

"Will do, bye Rose."

"Bye, Al." I said before hanging up. My blood was boiling through my veins as I sat trying to watch whatever mindless show was on TV. But as the seconds ticked by I couldn't stand it any more. I got up, throwing on my coat and walking out the door. I trekked across the lawn and up to Bella's front door. I banged on it with no answer, I saw the car in the drive way and knew she was home alone, probably celebrating breaking all ties with the man who loved her. When she didn't answer I burst in, going straight to her room. She was sitting on the floor on the far side of the bed, I made my way over to her,

"Swan, you bit-" I began until I actually saw her. She was looking up at me with bloodshot, empty eyes. She was seated with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, as if it were the only thing holding her together. Her thumb was absentmindedly rubbing the emeralds in the ring Edward had given her, like a child with their security blanket.

"Oh God." I let out under my breath.

"Yell at me." She said, her voice was dry and lifeless, she never looked at me as she spoke.

"What?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, I felt that if I was any louder she might shatter.

"Scream at me, call me names, I deserve it. I deserve to burn in hell, it's all my fault, everything's my fault. I didn't want to, I had to. I had to, for him, for his future. There was no other way. I had to." Her voice was hollow and I don't know what compelled me to, but I dropped down to the ground next to her and wrapped my arms around her, rocking back and fourth,

"I had to, I had to," She repeated. She was like a broken record that no one had bothered to take off the record player. I had a feeling she wouldn't be taken off anytime soon.

"What did you have to do?" I asked carefully,

"I had to leave. I didn't want to Rosalie, I didn't-"

"Shhh, Bella, shh." I said calming her down by rubbing her back and brushing some of the hair out of her eyes. We sat like that for a while, I rubbed her back and continued to rock her, as if she were a small child, until she fell asleep in my arms. Even after she fell asleep, her thumb still rubbed the smooth emerald stones in the ring, I felt like crying with her, she did this to herself, for him. I didn't know why, but I would find out. There was a knock on the door and I heard someone come in,

"Bella?" Emmett's voice called,

"Emmett?" I called back in surprise, from my space on the floor,

"Rose?" Emmett seemed just as surprised to see me as I was to see him when he entered the room, but then he saw Bella in my arms, he walked over and sat in the window sill in front of us,

"Didn't sleep last night?" He whispered, pointing to Bella, I nodded my head. He stood up and pulled the sheets back on the bed, then he came over to me and picked her up. He set her in the bed, pulling the covers over her. Once she was settled in we both left the room, pulling the door behind us, leaving it open just a crack.

"What are you doing here?" I asked,

"I could ask you the same thing." He responded

"I came in to yell at her, I had just gotten of the phone with Alice, heard about Edward. I was mad." I explained.

"What changed your mind?" He asked.

"'What changed my mind'? Did you not see the broken and destroyed girl in that other room? Emmett, she is just as bad off as he is, and she did this to herself because she thinks it's what's best for him. She doesn't deserve to be yelled at on top of what she's going through, contrary to popular belief, I'm not that cruel." I finished, Emmett nodded.

"I just don't know what brought all of this on." I said calming down.

"I know why." He said with a groan, sinking into a chair at the head of the table.

"What?" I asked shocked.

"She told me the other day, I thought I had talked her out of doing this yesterday at the beach, but I guess not. It was James, he convinced her Edward would be better off without her this year." Emmett said angrily.

"That bastard. I swear, I'll kill him." I threatened.

"Edward? Edward!" Emmett and I both turned to look at the door to Bella's room. I tiptoed my way over to the crack to see her still fast asleep as she tossed and turned in her bed. I brushed away a tear at the sight of her and the pain she must be in. I turned around to face Emmett who was still seated at the table.

"Promise me you'll never leave?" I asked him, he bolted up and wrapped me in his strong arms,

"Only if you promise the same." He said as he placed a kiss in my hair. I nodded into his chest.

"I'm going to make her some breakfast." He said when we pulled apart.

"I'll help." He nodded and we both went into the kitchen. He pulled out the ingredients for his pancakes while I got out eggs and cheese for scrambled eggs.

"When is she leaving again?" I asked while I poured the eggs mixture into a pan on the stove.

"Tomorrow morning." He answered, I let out a sigh.

"Em, she can't handle this on her own."

"I know, Rose, I know." We continued to make breakfast in silence. When we finished Emmett set everything up on three plates, while I went in to see if she was up. She was, she was curled up again on her bed, still under the covers, and staring out the window at the beach. I went over and sat on her bed against the headboard, she laid her head on my lap, I used my hands to brush her hair back, and just continued to brush it back as broken sobs wrenched her body apart,

"He's gone. He's gone." She said over and over again. I felt tears slide down my own cheeks once again, but I quickly wiped them away, she couldn't see me crying, not now.

Emmett came in then with our plates and Bella saw what he was holding in his hands,

"No thank you, Emmett. I'm not hungry." She said quietly,

"Bella you have to eat something, come on, for me and Em, please." I asked, I knew that she most likely wouldn't eat much in the next couple of weeks if Charlie didn't force her into it.

"Alright." She said quietly and I helped her sit up, Emmett placed the plates and silverware in our laps before standing back up. I looked up at him questioningly.

"I have to run to the store really quick, do either of you two need anything?" He asked, I shook my head and looked at Bella. She wasn't looking up, just pushing her food around with her fork.

"Bella, do you need anything?" I asked softly.

"Um some Dramamine, if you don't mind, I get plane sick, and I don't have any left for the plane ride tomorrow." She answered quietly.

"Alright, I'll be back soon." He came over and kissed my forehead and gave Bella a squeeze on the arm. She didn't say anything until we were well into breakfast,

"I'm leaving tomorrow, could you do me a favor?" She asked, finally speaking.

"Anything." I answered automatically.

"Could you give Alice a hug, you don't have to tell her it's from me, because if you did she might hit you if you did, but just give her one for me?" She asked quietly, "And Esme too?" She added. I nodded,

"Thanks." When we finished breakfast I looked around Bella's room. Her belongings were still unpacked.

"Bella," I hated having to say my next words knowing how much it would break her, "It's time to pack." She looked around the room noticing the same thing I did.

"Oh." She said then she nodded and got up,

"Here, I'll take the plates and then I'll come back in and help, okay?" I offered she nodded and handed me her plate. I took them into the kitchen and cleared them, Bella had eaten half her eggs and half of one of the two pancakes Emmett had given her. I cleaned the plates and forks and put them away before returning to Bella's room. When I went in, she was sitting on the floor, her suitcase open next to her. She was folding and as she did, her hands were shaking and tears were streaming down her face.

"Bella?" I called, trying to get her to stop, she didn't, just kept folding. I got down and kneeled next to her, putting my hand on hers,

"Bella, why don't you let me do this?" I asked, she looked up at me, and the shirt she was folding slipped through her fingers. She nodded and stood up, I helped her back into bed. She was asleep within minutes and I continued to pack up her room, Emmett came back half way through and helped me finish up.

"What do we do about this guy?" He asked as he came up from looking under the bed, holding a stuffed animal puppy with emerald green eyes. I looked at it, then Bella, then back at Emmett.

"Em, go get me a trash bag." I instructed him.

"But what-"

"Just trust me." I told him, he nodded went into the kitchen and came back with a giant black trash bag. I began taking everything we had ever given her and carefully placed it in the trash bag. Once it was full, I closed it up and placed it at the bottom of her suitcase, it took up most of the space, but with some squishing I got it to fit and then I piled all of the rest of Bella's belongings on top.

"She doesn't want to see that stuff, it'll just make it easier for when she gets home." I told Emmett, he nodded, and I noticed a blue box I had missed earlier. It was the necklace Alice and I had given her, our going away present. I picked up the box and fingered the sparkly diamonds. I couldn't bare to put it into the black bag, plus the gift was from me as well, and she needed to know she had someone. I pulled the long necklace out of the box and walked over to the bed, I lifted her head up and wrapped the necklace around her neck three times. It fit perfectly as I lay her head back down on the pillow.

As I saw her sleeping there peacefully I wanted to shelter her from everything, protect her.

She woke up in tears again later on that night. Emmett was in the kitchen making dinner and I had opted to stay with her just in case. Once the tears subsided she spoke,

"It's just, it hurts so much, and nothing I do will fix it. It won't go away." She let out a broken sob.

"It's like- like I cant breath, and its slowly suffocating me. I feel like I'm trying to keep myself from dying." I wished I knew what to say. Emmett came in then and the three of us had dinner together. Once we were done, Emmett and I explained that I would be staying the night and that he would be back in the morning before she left. She tried to protest, but we each told her it was pointless to argue. Emmett moved the TV down to her room, then went next door to grab me some PJs.

"You guys going to be okay?" He asked me at the door.

"Yeah, I think so, we'll see you tomorrow?" I double checked, he nodded and we kissed before saying goodnight. I locked up the house, then changed into my PJs. I turned on the tv to some mindless sitcom and Bella and I watched it until she fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning Bella was gone.

"Bella?" I called out.

"In here!" She responded. I got out of bed and went into the kitchen, Bella was at the stove, cooking what smelled like bacon.

"Morning." She said softly, looking up at me. To anyone who didn't know her she seemed normal, but I could see the bags under her eyes, the dead smile, empty eyes, and I could hear the vacant voice.

"Charlie'll be home in an hour, um, you don't have to stay." She told me.

"Shut up, and keep flipping the bacon, you're not getting rid of me that easy." I said with a smile, walking past her to grab two plates. When we finished I helped her get ready to go. Charlie came home right on schedule, about ten minutes later Emmett showed up. He helped them load everything into the car. Once they finished we said our goodbyes to them, Emmett pulled her into his arms and whispered something in her ear. She smiled up at him then turned to me, I hugged her as well. When she pulled away I reached out and gently touched the necklace around her neck once more,

"We'll be here and we'll call, okay?" I told her, she nodded, and gave me a light smile before she and Charlie climbed into the car. She turned around in her seat she and watched us out the back window as she and Charlie drove down the street away from us. I didn't stop watching until the car was long gone and out of sight.

**Last thing left is the epilogue! IMPORTANT! I am also posting an AN after the epilogue as a separate ch, please read it, it will have info bout the sequel(as in weather or not u want one) in it! AND u guys beasted on the reviews, keep it up! (Please no flames for this ch) This ch has been written (with the exception of some tweaks) since last August, as in a month before I posted my first ch, so there was no stopping it.**

**Sooner Update: 1, 385 reviews(Total)**

**Next Update: July 3, 2009**


	53. Epilogue

**EPOV**

I didn't care, I was going over and was going to convince her she had to stay with me because I loved her too much. All morning I tried to convince myself she had lied, that she hadn't meant any of those words. As I bounded down the stairs Emmett was walking in, he looked tired. He rubbed his eyes and threw his keys on the table distractedly.

"Edward, what are you doing?" Emmett asked somberly, as he watched me.

"Not now Emmett, I have to go." I said impatiently.

"Where?" He asked worriedly.

"Bella's, I can't let her leave." I said as I looked for my keys.

"Edward." Emmett said again, I ignored him and continued my hurried search.

"Not now, Emmett." I said growing angry at his attempts to stop me.

"Edward, she's gone." He said somberly. I froze my hands on my newly found keys.

"What?" I turned to face him. He let out a deep breath,

"She left." He explained.

"I don't believe you." I said grabbing my keys and pushing past him out the door. I ignored his calls to stop and raced to Bella's house, the door was shut and the house looked dead. My heart faltered as I got out of the car and knocked on the door. No answer. I didn't even bother to check the windows, I knew what I'd find. I turned, leaning against the door, and staring at the ocean in front of me. She was gone, she had left, taking my heart with her and leaving a gaping sore. I sank to the floor and I watched the waves lap against the shore, watched the world turn without me.

___________________________

**BPOV**

"Come on Bella, time to get on the plane, we have to go home." Charlie said. I was standing in the opening to the gate watching the airport, people were milling about waiting for their flights. I stood there hoping a velvet voice would call out my name, stop me from going back. Because I wasn't going home, no, I could never go home. My home was with Edward, and now that was gone.

"Bella." Charlie called. I turned back to look at him, I nodded and boarded the plane.


	54. Final AN

**Hey everyone!!**

**Okay so here it is:**_** READ THIS!!!!**_

**The Sequel will be named: All The Little Pieces**

**Two things about it;**

**1. The prologue (like the last epilogue) is NOT long!!! like even a little bit! Do not get mad at me for that, like seriously! **

**2. The first chapter as I said will be posted sometime after that, I will try and get it out As Soon As Possible!! But this one is a bit harder to write! **

**One thing not about the sequel;**

**Whoever reviewed as **cullen/dario**, ur email address didn't come through on the review, pretty please email me!!**

**Ok, I'm posting the prologue after this!!**

**xoxo**

**devinerose**


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